LOCKED TO viliorate

[sadisticwarfare]

[It's been a little over ten years since the two of them arrived here. Ten years is an awfully long time to be stuck here, but returning home isn't an option anymore. It hasn't been an option since they first started changing, and that wasn't all that long after they arrived. Kimbley had grown a tail and ears and Archer's eyes had turned red. It's amazing to think they had been so scared by those changes back then.

Things are different now. They aren't human, but there's no reason for that to bother them. Archer is a vampire (something that he found painfully ironic in the beginning, but he's adapted quite well to it, if he does say so himself). Not much has changed about him, appearance-wise. His nails are much longer and sharper, his eyes are red, and he has the stereotypical vampire fangs, but aside from that the only difference is the slight point to his ears. It's not like he could get any paler anyway.

Archer enters their shared apartment after work, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up before proceeding into the living room.]

Kimbley, are you home yet?

Comments

[viliorate]

[Kimbley reaches out for Archer's arm.

It's awkward, and his grip isn't as strong as it could be, and he's careful not to dig his claws into Archer's skin, but it's there.]

[sadisticwarfare]

[He doesn't seem to know what to do with that at first, looking more than a little awkward, but eventually he rests his hand on Kimbley's and moves to sit properly beside him. He doesn't say anything because he still doesn't know what to say, but now that the excitement has worn off, he's finding that he's having a hard time dismissing the thought that it could have been a silver bullet, that Kimbley could have died.]

[viliorate]

We're going to have to be careful.

[Kimbley has never been that careful, even after all of these years. This is just the first time he's noticed that it's an actual problem.]

[sadisticwarfare]

...Yes, we are.

[He's always been careful, but he's never tried to reign Kimbley in. He's always let Kimbley do whatever he wants. That was a mistake.]

[viliorate]

[This could have ended horribly. He might even let Archer control him if it means they're both safer.]

If accepting handouts is how I avoid getting shot again...

[He's not going to be happy, but]

I'll do whatever you ask of me.

[sadisticwarfare]

We'll figure something out. We always do.

[Right now he doesn't want to think about it.]

[viliorate]

[The wound is bad enough that Kimbley is going to be out of commission for a while, but he's confident in Archer's ability to help him.]

I know.

At least he didn't shoot both of us.

[sadisticwarfare]

At least there's that.

[If they were both injured that would just be depressing. At least this way he can provide for Kimbley, should it take him awhile to heal.]

[viliorate]

[He's going to be fine. He'll be ignoring the injury tomorrow no matter what anyway.

You don't need to look after him, even if it was Kimbley's recklessness that got him shot in the first place.]

At least the doctor was able to remove the bullet without needing to shave all of the fur off. That would have been embarrassing.

[sadisticwarfare]

[He always has to look after Kimbley, this isn't negotiable.]

At least there's that.

[Though he thinks shaving the fur off to get the bullet out wouldn't be that bad at all.]

[viliorate]

[As sensitive as Kimbley is about the fur, he's gotten used to it and the mane. It would be weird having it gone.

...it's not even that he's warmer with it because he never notices the cold anymore, he'd just prefer to have it there.]

The bandages will hide the damn bald patch anyway.

[sadisticwarfare]

At least the bullet's out. That's the most important thing.

[viliorate]

I still could have pulled it out on my own.

[And given himself a horrible infection.]

[sadisticwarfare]

You're not a doctor, you could have seriously injured yourself trying to dig it out.

[The idea is gross too, ugh.]

[viliorate]

It wouldn't have been a big deal. I'd have been fine.

[Not really.

...and it's not like you'd have been the one digging around, Archer!]

[sadisticwarfare]

[Yeah, but it's still a gross thought!]

It's better not to have to worry about that.

[viliorate]

[He sighs, shifting around awkwardly.]

Thank you. For helping me.

[He should say that, right?]

[sadisticwarfare]

There's no need to thank me. I did what I could for you.

[And he still couldn't prevent Kimbley from getting shot.]

[viliorate]

[Kimbley getting shot was his own damn fault, let's be honest.]

You've been doing that from the beginning. Let me expression a little gratitude.

[sadisticwarfare]

...Well, I suppose that won't hurt.

[He's Archer, so of course he blames himself. He did let you attack the guy, after all.]

[viliorate]

[...he would have done it even if Archer had told him no.]

I'm not going to bleed to death so you can relax.

[sadisticwarfare]

You know I don't relax, and I'm certainly not going to relax now.

[viliorate]

[He awkwardly squeezes Archer's hand.]

He doesn't know where we live.

[It's not like either of them make enough to live in the richer parts of the city. Some amateur monster hunter who is becoming one himself isn't going to step foot in this area.]

[sadisticwarfare]

I know he doesn't but... What if something like this happens again? What if it's fatal?

[He doesn't want to think about it, but the question comes out before he can stop himself.]

[viliorate]

[He'd thought about it, but he hadn't really thought about it.

The idea of losing Archer isn't something he can even comprehend, and he knows Archer feels the same way. They're inseparable, they've been inseparable for years.]

I'm not going to do anything so stupid again.