Kiss my Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep (Venka and Anu)

[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] It was most likely night now, though Dmitri had no real way of knowing the time. He was too far into the sewer for the lack of Carna around to be an indicator and it wasn’t like he had a watch anymore. Yet something told him it was late, that his body had been up for the mandatory twelve hours and that it needed to sleep. He couldn't just lay down there however, not with the light tapping noises of the rats to keep him awake. Besides the floor was cold and his back wasn’t favoring his curled up position anymore, his body craved a bed, a nice soft mattress to lay on. So slowly getting to his feet Dmitri prepared to take the long walk back to the general sleeping area and Anubis’s mattress. Stretching out lazily, the blonde rubbed at his aching back. He’d have to have been balled up against that wall for a while for it to ache that much but at the very least his tears had dried up. As if to check, one hand rose absent mindedly to his face, rubbing at his eyes before disappearing back into the pockets of his trench coat. Dmitri could feel the karambit resting there and it comforted him some, gave him at least the strength to take the first few steps back to his friend’s shared bed. It wasn’t an easy walk back, full of guilty memories and shame for what he had done. Dmitri could almost feel Anubis’s accusing eyes already, hear the harsh words that he knew he would deserve. Those thoughts made his footsteps heavy, like thunder in the silence of the empty tunnels. He hated being alone like that, left to his thoughts about the past. Those thoughts focused on Venka, back when he was a she and dressed in little frilly outfits with more bows then he could count. The memory brought a bitter sweet smile to his face. Those play dates had all been lies, just schemes to get close to him in order to dispose of his crime lord father and yet at the same time, those lies had been the happiest moments of his childhood. Now he was facing a similar debate. Venka was back, alive now and he had said he loved him, loved the man who tried and tried again to kill him. It didn’t make sense but yet, Dmitri’s heart wanted so badly for it to be true. Still he was scared, scared of hurting Venka, of getting hurt again, and of love. For so long he’d forgotten that awful intoxicating feeling and thought it a myth or lie on which lovers foolishly based their pointless relationships. After all, his own parents had never loved him or each each other for that matter so why should it be different for other kids? This logic had been his way of coping and Venka’s “death” had cemented the belief, Dmitri's later killings only reinforcing it. Yet now, now Dmitri wasn’t so sure. Looking at the other blonde had pained him, pulled some imaginary muscle in his chest, and now was just twisting and twisting it. What other emotion could be so strong? Dmitri didn’t think it was hate, that was an easy emotion to him. All it took to hate someone was a few shootings or even taunts in some cases but love, it took years or so the romance novels said. Shaking his head in frustration, Dmitri found an escape from his unruly thoughts. He had finally reached the main part of Sewertown, a sea of mattress and Carna in varying degrees of sleep. There in their usual place was Anubis, though Dmitri couldn’t really see Venka. For a moment, Dmitri kept his gaze low in fear of meeting his friend's eyes. The Russian considered asking Py for a spot on his usually overcrowded bed but then he decided to risk it. He’d beg for Anubis’s forgiveness and just hope that the Egyptian would let him sleep there for the night. Hurrying over to his friend, Dmitri braced himself for the worse. “I’m sorry. I really am.” Ooc: Takes place on the same night as "If I Die Before I Wake"

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[anubis]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Anumid.png] In the hours that passed since Dmitri's hasty exit, Anubis had occupied himself with the care of the Fulsi that now shared his bed. It had been an encouraging sign that he'd regained consciousness, though it had lasted only a short while. Venka had made no attempt to speak, but had seen fit to answer most of the Hunter's questions of feeble nods when necessary. It was probably for the best, really. The quieter he was, the less likely they were to be discovered--and Anubis wouldn't be forced into explaining himself. Still, the Egyptian did find it slightly worrisome--those with post traumatic stress didn't fare well in the somewhat claustrophobic quarters of the Carna. But for now, he was simply content with the fact that Venka had managed to keep his eyes open for at least an hour before slipping back under. He'd also managed to move Venka in one of his bouts of unconsciousness, though he was cautious, doing his best to be gentle. He'd then set to the task of scrubbing the soiled mattress--a process that had taken the better part of an hour. Few stains were as stubborn as blood once they'd seeped into fabric. Still, the last thing the Hunter wanted was to allow the man to rest in a pool of his own blood. Besides inviting infection, the mere thought of the unsanitary conditions made him shudder. And so he'd attacked the sleeping pallet with cold water, sacrificing the last wedge of his handmade soap to the cause. It hadn't done anything to entirely remove it--the damage had been done, in the form of pale rust-red and fainter brown that radiated outward from its center. Yet once he'd rearranged the ratty blankets on the mattress once more, allowing them to soak up most of the resultant damp, he was satisfied. If nothing else, neither of their sensitive sense of smell would be offended by the scent of blood as they slept. Venka rested on the top of the blankets, wrapped in the rest as tightly as he could manage. He had just straightened from adjusting the way they fell about the resting Fulsi's shoulders when he caught sight of Dmitri, hovering uncertainly just on the fringes of the corner where Anubis slept. If he had been expecting Anubis to greet him coldly, or lash out with judgmental words, he'd be disappointed. He had understood the reasons behind the man's leaving. There was no judgment, just a quiet brightening of his eyes. "Welcome back," he said simply, moving forward to greet him, and stopping a few inches short of him. "I think there's enough room for the three of us. Though, Dmitri..." he paused, unsure how to phrase his next words. "He's been in and out all day. There's a chance he may wake up. Just so you're prepared. He isn't...talking, though." It was only fair to warn him, as far as the hunter was concerned. "There's nothing to forgive," he added quietly. "Just come to bed."

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[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] Dem let out a breath that he hadn’t consciously known he’d been holding. Anubis wasn’t mad, he wasn’t yelling, and more importantly he wasn’t kicking him out. How would he been able to explain that to Py, if the Egyptian had refused him? Not easily and not without spilling the whole mess of a story. At least Venka could rest in relative safety now. Dmitri had taken the time, however short, to get Ven a temporary asylum. Somehow, he had managed to convince the Carna higher ups that Venka was his lover, engaged to marry or something like that on the outside, and that ever since the blonde had arrived he’d been working secretly from the Fulsi. It hadn’t been very hard to lie, not when the whole of Carna had seen his distressed state that day and besides, spies had always been of good use for the rings. When he had told that Ven was leading on the Fulsi Head of Border Patrol, it had only made the deal seem better. The only problem would be breaking it to the other Russian. In fact speaking to him seemed like a hard enough task. Realizing that he’d spaced out as soon as Anubis had uttered Venka’s name, Dmitri forced himself to pull it together. “I don’t…No, I can’t talk to him though. So that's good” Biting his lip, a new nervous habit it seemed, Dmitri tried not to meet his friend’s eyes. He wasn’t sure how happy Anubis would be to learn that he’d enlisted Venka as a spy when the man was hardly conscious enough to consent. It had been the only way to save him though! Or at least the only way to save him and keep him near. If there was any one word to describe Dmitri, it was selfish. This fact only increased that tightening in his chest when he looked at Ven however, and it made Dmitri question his decision all over again. “It’s hard enough to just look at him. I mean, I did all that to him and… He’s like a goddamn dog, Anu!” Eyes finally rising to meet the Hunter’s, Dmitri crossed his arms, a gesture closer to hugging himself than truly being mad. “Not that there’s anything wrong with dogs. It’s just… I beat him and he comes right back. Like a goddamn abused puppy!” “I hate it. It’s.. It’s just sickening and you have no idea!” With that Dem moved to perch on the edge of the mattress, the farthest edge from Venka that he could find. Removing his boots, half using the task to distracting himself from the other blonde on the bed, Dmitri wondered how this would work. He needed for Ven to know that he was going to have to spy on his former ringmates and someone would have to tell the Russian. He didn’t want to have to be that person but yet something told him Anubis wouldn’t easily agree to that request. That could be postponed for another night though. His main concern now was avoiding Venka and getting a goodnight’s sleep, a task made so much harder by the fact Ven was right behind him tangled in a nest of covers. “Please just sleep between us tonight.” Ooc: Dun dun dun~

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[anubis]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Anumid.png] Noting the Tenderfoot's rather distracted gaze, Anubis frowned in concern. The Russian looked dazed, as if his thoughts were miles out of his reach. It would, he thought rather dryly, be his luck to tend to two emotionally shell-shocked men. But he didn't press the issue, turning instead to turn down the edge of the covers along the mattress. If Dmitri wanted to discuss whatever weighed so heavily on his mind, then he would, with or without his interference. As it was, Anubis had no intention of prying. It was just as well, as Dmitri's apprehensions were justified in their assumption that his bargain would invoke his displeasure. It was far too early to even consider using the Fulsi as a gambit, even though it had been the only mercy Dmitri could afford him. His back straightened as Dmitri spoke again, giving voice at last to his uncertainties, and the underlying cause of what troubled him. "You don't understand," he said, keeping his voice pitched low, unwilling to wake the man in question. "It's not that he can't talk. It's that he won't." He was careful to keep the statement neutral, free of the slightest hint of accusation. There wouldn't have been any point--Anubis was certain of the fact that the Fulsi's affliction of muteness was solely by choice. Dmitri's next outburst, however, merely caused the Egyptian to raise an eyebrow, his own arms folded across his chest. The irony of the statement seemed to have momentarily escaped the man. He merely waited patiently for the realization of the nature of Anubis's own shift to hit him. The wait proved to be a short one, as his next sentence hastily amended the previous one. "He loves you," he offered simply. "He must, if he let you..." he trailed off. There was no point in finishing the sentence. It would've been unfair of him. It wasn't as if they both didn't already hold the thought in the back of their minds. He didn't add anything else as Dmitri continued, allowing him the catharsis of venting his frustrations and bewilderment. And it was true; he had no idea. He only knew that he would never wish what Dmitri was currently going through on anyone--but his best friend, least of all. "But at the same time," he added, much more softly, as if to himself, "I can understand why he would." Shaking the thoughts aside, he himself began to move towards the mattress, going through his own nightly ritual of casting aside his shoes and whatever else he didn't absolutely need as he slept. Dmitri's request caught him off guard, and he shot him a questioning look, unwilling to honor it for a fleeting moment. "Alright. For tonight," he repeated firmly, before at last settling on the edge of the mattress himself, drawing the covers over the both of them a second later as he nestled against Venka's side, careful not to lean too heavily on the injured man. "Goodnight, Dmitri."

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[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] Dmitri stayed silent, sitting on the mattress and making quick work of his shirt. It was hard to look at Anubis while he did this, the shirt was his center of focus instead, the now dingy white color blurring in front of him as he carefully folded the garment. Golden eyes stared mournful down at the shirt, pulling slightly on the worn fabric as his best friend spoke. There was just too much emotion wrapped up in this simple task of going to sleep, too many old wounds being reopened, and a part of him wanted to run again. Yet he couldn’t. Anubis might have forgiven him for the first time but something told him that he was straining the Egyptian’s patience and that was never a good thing to do, not when Anubis had the strength to throw him across the room if the canine shifter felt inclined to do so. Setting the shirt beside him with a small sigh, Dmitri considered his jeans for a brief moment before deciding just to leave them on. It was strangely cold tonight and something about sleeping in his underwear disturbed him, perhaps it was just because if the sheets shifted enough Ven would be able to see him. It felt improper, wrong even and nearly brought on a blush. Wincing at the shudder such a thought brought on, Dmitri rubbed at his arm, waiting for Anubis to duck under the covers before he followed suit. “Goodnight, puppy.” His voice was a soft murmur, uncertain and not sure if that was enough. Something still lingered in his mind from Anubis’ earlier words. There had been a simple sentence, just a few words but within those few words Anu had compared him to the one Carna Dmitri could say he truly hated. Even Lyric had earned only a mild dislike tinged with the occasional feeling of brotherly affection but the man Anubis had once briefly dated, Silver or some other stupid sounding name, had been the first to earn his deep loathing. A hiss nearly escaped him, eyes narrowing at the thought of what that stupid blonde had done to his best friend. The peacock had not only cheated on Anubis but tormented him with details of his mental illness that Dmitri was certain didn’t help the Egyptian but hurt him more. The stupid piece of shit had even gone so far as to force himself on his best friend just because Sliver thought Anubis was cheating with him. Sure, the suspicion was warranted since they had fooled around but none of that meant Anubis had deserved to be raped and beaten, only to have his supposed true love just leave! The worst part however was that in a way, Dmitri knew he was doing a similar thing to Venka. Arms wrapping around his friend and pulling him close in his distress, Dmitri peered down at the Hunter. He tried not to look hurt, he didn’t deserve the pity after all but it wasn’t hard to tell he was disturbed. “I... Anubis?” Swallowing back any nervousness, his eyes closed. “No, Sayyid. You… I.” Biting his lip in frustration at his inability to say what would sound right, Dmitri tried one last time. “Don’t think like that. Sliver was a worthless waste of space and for his sake, I hope he’s really dead because if I find him, I’ll make sure he doesn’t stop screaming until the moment he dies and believe me, that will take weeks.” Voice a bit stronger with his conviction, Dmitri snuggled against his friend, a small half embarrassed huff escaping him. “You are worth so much more than him and I love you, even crushed on you for a while there, so remember that next time someone tries to hurt you. You’re worth more than that and over half the Carna will testify to it. ” Eyes drifting shut, he was lulled closer to sleep by Anubis’s warmth. “And I’ll try, I really will try not to do that to… Him. Because I refuse to be another Sliver. Blonde hair or not.” Ooc: The Dem is asleep! Commence plan switch Anu out with teh 'kins.

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[anubis]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Anumid.png] For a long while after the rhythm of Dmitri's breathing slowed and grew even, Anubis lie awake. The words the other man had spoken lingered in the silence that had fallen after them, their presence--along with the regret they brought--refusing to lie silent in his head. Regret, mainly, that he hadn't answered the man before sleep overtook him. He knew, of course, that come morning, neither would speak of it, and perhaps that was why it weighed so heavily on both heart and mind. If he had only spoken a fraction of a second sooner, he would have been able to express his gratitude, without the light of day to give it an awkward and hollow ring. Instead, he found himself gazing into the murk, the occasional shift in position and snores of those around him sounds he'd long grown accustomed to. He was drawn from his thoughts moments later. The steady rise and fall of Dmitri's chest against his back was countered by the sudden onset of trembling against his own. Ven had begun to shiver in his sleep, violent, abbreviated motions. Vestiges of shock, or simply the cold, however, Anubis couldn't be certain. For all he knew, it could have been a mixture of both. And yet, for all that he should, the Fulsi didn't wake. Hesitantly, Anubis reached out a hand, resting it gently on the blonde's shoulder. When even that failed to quiet the low, vague sounds of distress that escaped his throat in his sleep, he withdrew his hand. He thought for a moment. It stood to reason that he could give the Fulsi no comfort. Everything about him was foreign to him--his scent, the sound of his voice, his touch. And yet, if Anubis didn't find a way to quiet him soon, and relatively quickly, waking Dmitri would be the least of their concerns. That was when it struck him. Of course, it meant expressly going against the Tenderfoot's wishes. But Anubis was convinced that he'd be forgiven for his transgression--in time. Moving carefully so as not to wake either of the men at his side, he gently slid his hands underneath Ven's arms, gently drawing him into a semi-upright position. From there, he was quick to aid him in sliding over himself, ensuring that the man's legs remained as straight as he could manage, given the circumstance. Once Ven was halfway between them, he turned, carefully angling himself in order to better direct the limp form of Ven into the space between himself and Dmitri. The moment he resettled, Ven wasted little time in pressing against Dmitri's chest, his face burrowing against it with a sleepy nuzzle. The rest of him soon followed suit, fitting against him in a shameless tangle of limbs. A faint smile traced its way onto the Hunter's lips as he observed them for a moment, satisfied by the manner in which the Fulsi had quieted, his inhalations seeming to match Dmitri's in a soft synchronicity. It was only then that he turned his back on the pair, giving in to sleep himself. Lulled by both the warmth and scent of Dmitri, Ven slept on. The quiet noises that slipped from him had grown less urgent in nature, and every so often, quite uncharacteristically, soft purrs of contentment slid from his throat. The silence was shattered a moment later, however, when the first words he'd spoken at all the previous few hours escaped him, thick with sleep. "...Ate it eatingly!" he declared with a tiny huff of distress, before falling silent once more.

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[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] Nestled under the covers and against Anubis’ warm body, Dmitri wouldn’t have noticed anything less than a full blown raid, complete with battle cries and exploding Molotov cocktails. His friend’s movements to comfort Venka had no chance of waking him, nor did the other blonde’s distressed noises even stir him out of sleep. Instead Dmitri slept on, blissfully unaware that the warm back he clung so tightly to was slipping from his grip. A small whimper escaped his lips but his heart wasn’t in it and soon Dmitri simply adjusted his position to sink further under the covers. For the tiniest of moments his body flailed under the covers, searching for something to hold on to but soon enough found another body to tangle around. Yet this wasn’t the same body as before. The feel was different, smaller and not as heated as the Epygtain Hunter Dmitri was used to. The smell was off as well, familiar in a way that made his slumbering heart jolt and send him into dreams of running after something he was always too slow to reach. Despite this oddness registered just slightly by his tired mind, Dmitri’s eyes never even fluttered. It was a long while that he lay there, legs weaved between Venka’s and his arms wrapped around the smaller Russian holding him close. Yet the comfortable silence was broken by a small sentence uttered by the sleeping Ven. The noises didn’t immediately alarm Dmitri, it merely dragged him up from the depths of sleep, head nuzzling deeper into the pillow-less mattress. Yet as he moved to get comfortable, he felt the soft tickling of hair against his chest. A slow sense of dread began to creep upon Dmitri at that. Anubis had been laying with his back towards him and he could not recall one time when the Egyptian had ever chosen to cuddle up to him like this. Usually it was him that clung to his best friend, burrowing his head into the darker skinned man in an attempt to stay warm during the bitter Menagerie winters. Besides the person pressed up against him was built different and it didn’t take opening his eyes to realize who he was holding in his arms. Yet that’s what he did, eyes fluttering open and looking downwards at the blonde haired man. For moment Dmitri just sucked in a breath, staring with growing terror and a racing heart, but then he stole a glance behind Venka and locked onto to Anubis’ shape in the dark. A savior, even if it was likely that his best friend was the reason Venka was wrapped around him in the first place. “Anubis!” His best friend’s name came out in a whispered hiss and as he waited for the man to stir, Dmitri worked on freeing himself from the awkward embrace. Carefully sliding his arm up and out from under Venka, inch at a time, Dmitri tried not to panic. His heart was racing and he wished for nothing more than Anubis to remove the blonde from his body and hopefully his sight. Yet the Egyptian was still quiet. “Anu! Puppy! Sayyid!” Each name was called just slightly louder than the next and with a small grunt of irritation at the lack of response to them, Dmitri leaned forward. Reaching over the blonde, he gave Anubis a hard prod, wincing when the movement brought him even closer to Venka’s skin. “Sayyid! Get him the hell away from me! Right now!” Ooc: Dun, dun, dun~

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[anubis]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Anumid.png] Anubis stirred in his sleep, his body shifting restlessly on the mattress. The gesture was insincere; Anubis was notorious as a light sleeper, if the man's habit of dosing could ever be considered true 'sleep.' There were few things as unfortunate as being the one responsible for waking Anubis once he'd settled in on his requisite twenty minute stretches of blessed sleep at a time. That is, if they weren't bargaining for a rather rude awakening themselves--usually finding themselves flat on their backs as he loomed over them with an expression that promised nothing short of hell. It was fortunate for Dmitri, however, that Anubis was not, in fact, asleep. For one shining moment, he half-hoped that the man would simply take his turned back as a sign that he was asleep, instead of what he was doing; pointedly ignoring him. His hopes that Dmitri would simply give up, however, were shattered, as the blonde's voice merely rose plaintively, however hushed it was. Anubis smirked against the inside of his wrist, grateful, for once, that Dmitri couldn't see his face. His amusement drained from his expression mere seconds later, as he was rewarded with a hard prod just between his shoulder blades. Heaving a sigh, he rolled over onto his right side, hair tousled just enough to give the illusion of sleep. "Dem," he began patiently, "I have to be awake in the next six hours. Do you understand?" He paused, allowing the implications to sink it. He acknowledged, however briefly, that it was wrong to try to guilt the other man, especially one as clearly distressed as Dmitri. But he'd learned long ago that the easiest way to handle him in those moments was to distract him with something else. If Dmitri's focus was kept on something entirely different long enough, he usually forgot the original subject in short order. After a moment, he lifted his head, his gaze seeking his in the murk. "No." his response was quiet but firm. "Let him sleep next to you if he wants. It isn't as if he's going to slit your throat in his sleep. Besides, it's the best thing for him. He needs to be between two people to keep warm for now." He sighed then, raking his hand through his hair roughly and eying Dmitri. He knew, however, that if he didn't do something about Venka, Dmitri would--and his solution wasn't likely to be pleasant. "But if it bothers you that much..." he trailed off, his gaze softening. "Then I won't force you."

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[dem]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Demtablebot2.jpg] “I don’t care!” The remark was hissed from behind clenched teeth and while it normally wouldn’t have been very heartfelt, at the moment Dmitri truly didn’t care, at least not about anything that wasn’t blonde and snuggled against him. Golden eyes glaring through the darkness at the Hunter, Dmitri awkwardly moved his now free arm back to his side, trying to determine how to untangle his legs. It seemed like an impossible task to accomplish. Venka would certainly wake up and just wrap right around him again. Then again it seemed like the captured Fulsi had slept though his loud attempts to awaken Anubis. The panic that tightened Dmitri’s stomach and chest in knots was slowly abating, fading as he managed to separate at least one limb and though his friend’s first statement had momentarily thrown him back into terror, he was certain that the Egyptian would give in eventually. He always did. Usually. With the right amount of pouting and begging, that is. Dmitri’s heart soon sunk again when Anubis rejected his request, this time sounding sincere enough to make him wince. “It’s not my throat I’m worried about. Don’t you get that?” Try as he might, Dmitri could feel his heart start to race and licking his suddenly very dry lips, he was glad that his best friend wasn’t a feline shifter. If he was then Anubis might see how unsettled he was and Dmitri had a bad feeling that the other shifter wouldn’t let him live it down. Truth be told he was scared, scared of losing it because Venka was too close and he could smell him and feel every inch of his slim frame against him. It would be so simple to wrap his hands around the man’s neck and squeeze, using his drain to keep Ven from thrashing hard enough to alert Anu. Far too simple and that’s what scared him the most. “I could hurt him, Anu. I could hurt him really, really bad.” Even to his own ears, Dmitri’s voice sounded uncharacteristically weak and small. “I don’t want to but I could. I have, in fact and what’s to stop me from doing it again?” Gaze flickering between the small body next to him and his best friend, Dmitri bit his lip. Anubis was strong, sure but he was faster and he had radiation and drain to subdue him. Besides when he was really into an attack, nothing mattered anymore and friends were just more bodies to add to his count, at least when they tried to interfere. It wasn’t hard to guess that Anubis would interfere either. “You certainly couldn’t. You can’t watch him all the time and if I was careful and patient , I could get him alone just long enough to slid my knife right across his throat.” Closing his eyes now, Dmitri took a deep breath. He wanted to add one last thing to that sentence, he wanted to add that he should have done it. That he should have slit Venka’s throat the second he first caught the man trespassing. He couldn’t forced the words out of his mouth though, not when there was a chance Venka would wake up and hear. So instead he settled with a muttered, “Just move him please.” Ooc: This took a while~

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[anubis]

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[atrb=background,http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab236/AxeMar_Equals_Me/Anumid.png] A note of warning rose in the depths of Anubis' throat. The sound was unobtrusive, its rise in volume gradual. The note of displeasure reached a crescendo, however low in pitch--his frustrations with the Tenderfoot darkening into a humorless tone. In anyone else, it would have been less a warning, and more a promise of violence. Guttural and distinctly canine in nature, it lingered for a few tense seconds, before abating into a heavy sigh. Though there had never been a greater time where Anubis longed to throw up his hands and curse Dmitri for a fool, he fell silent. The blonde had only grown more and more agitated with each word spoken, and rather than provoke him further, he let the matter drop. Dmitri's line of thinking had been correct--at least in that sense. While it was rare that arguments between the two ever lasted for more than a heated moment or two--Anubis was usually the first to back away from them. Dmitri had a gift for the subtle art of manipulation, and the advantage of the intimacy of friendship to know precisely which remarks would make the hunter relent long enough for him to get his way. Anubis found his side of the argument rapidly deteriorating in the face of Dmitri's own, overridden, largely, by the vague feeling of guilt that slowly stole over him. Ordinarily, Anubis would have borne the chastising quietly. But he was still far too annoyed with Dmitri to simply concede defeat. "I know," he said curtly, his fists clenching at his sides. "But the fact remains that he is alive because of you." He held up a hand, palm outward, as if to ward off the argument that was sure to negate his words. "Yes, you brought him to me. But you had a chance to kill him. Several chances, in fact. And you spared him." He shot Dmitri a hard look then. "Then don't," he spat. "What you don't seem to get is that Venka knows all of this. And yet he trusts you implicitly. Enough to sleep against you even though he's putting his life into your hands. You should be asking how you can make yourself deserving of that trust, instead of pissing and moaning." Dmitri's next words, however, caused his eyes to flash, a short, sharp laugh escaping him, rough with scorn. "Are you so sure you want to count on that, Dmitri?" he asked, voice soft. "Rest assured, I have ways of stopping you. None of them pleasant. Do you really want to go down the path of idle threats tonight?" He cut off abruptly, however, when the faintest stirring of motion caught his eye. Though he had struggled to keep his voice low and even, it would seem the strain on civility had woken Venka after all. His gaze fell past Dmitri's shoulder as he watched the shorter blonde sluggishly struggle upright. Ven's movements were halting, partly due to the muddled sense of disorientation that assaulted the senses the first few seconds after waking, and partly because it pained him to move beyond slow increments. All the same, as the pair argued, he quietly focused on freeing a blanket from the end of the mattress, bunching the thin, rough fabric in his fist, before slowly starting forward, dragging himself along the mattress at a laborious pace that left him breathless, the shifting bone fragments within his legs biting into muscle and turning the edges of his vision into brilliant flashes of white. But he persevered, moving from the edge of the mattress and onto the floor, dragging himself along the floor inch by painful inch. When at last he stopped, too exhausted to continue, he gingerly came to rest against the floor, drawing the blanket over himself. Here, at least, he'd be less of an unwanted burden. His last thoughts as he drifted off--many hours later, were hazy an incomplete. The one constant was the vague, comforting warm of his arm, which he pressed his face into unconsciously. The scent it carried was familiar, and for just a fleeting instant, he could almost pretend, before the current of sleep pulled him under. Ooc: Depressing thread is depressing. And now over.

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[shirsharespie]

THREAD OVER!

The next thread is in the memories board~ Bury your Secrets in my Skin.