Growing Tensions

Vinnie smiled slightly as Gaspar came over, touching his dark hair as he let him open his pants, "you really only act like this when we're both here, huh?" he muttered softly. His hand moved up, cupping his cheek, looking in to his yellow eyes, having gotten used to the fact that it looked like they lit up in the dark room. His thumb caressing his cheekbone, he sighed, wishing he could just control his temper sometimes. It would make it a lot easier. "Come on, let's get some rest - If we're to take care of Puppy, we need all the sleep we can get," he said, pulling Gaspar with him to the bed. Laying down, he let Gaspar lay in the middle, but he could feel how warm the bed had gotten from Hunter sleeping here. It wasn't too bad, but he couldn't sleep with a duvet on, as that would make him over heat. He pulled the shifter close, shutting his eyes as he pressed his lips to his forehead.

Vinnie was always good at sleeping in, snoring lightly as he had found a rather strange way to lay that meant his back would hurt once he woke up. But for now he was sleeping rather soundly. However the duvet next to Gaspar was having something bigger underneath that just the human that had fallen asleep on the bed. Hunter was in her hellhound form - her true appearance, laying awake and scared to move. What if Vinnie saw her? Noticing Gaspar sit up she poked her nose out, pushing her snout against his hand. Growling softly, yet more as a notice me, rather than an angry one. If he checked under the duvet, she would be laying there, her red eyes glowing in the dim light. "Is he awake?" she asked, trying to dampen her voice to a mere whisper.

It did seem like something was off, yet Gaspar couldnt figure out what. That was at least until he felt something press on his hand, looking down to see a snout that he felt up softly. A dog? Wait. He grabbed the duvet and peaked inside, seeing the hound lay there. He smiled faintly, not seemingly scared in the slightest despite her otherwise terrifying appearance. Her question made him check on Vinnie, who seemed to be sleeping soundly. He looked back at her and nodded. Unsure of what to do completely, he crawled under the covers to join her, laying face to face with the beast. “Hi.” He whispered softly with a slight smile. So this was what she really looked like? He could admit that it wasnt what he had thought, but his knowledge on dogs was also very limited. She might look a bit like the black dogs he had seen down on the street from the window up here.

Okay, so Vinnie was still asleep, that was good. She needed to perhaps lock herself in the bathroom or get out of the apartment before he noticed her. However before she could move, Gaspar had joined her under the duvet, her big red eyes staring at him quite surprised. His soft whisper made her feel some sort of way. He wasn't scared of her like this? She found that hard to wrap her mind around, because all her life she had been told to keep to the shadows and hide who she was. However how close he was, how relaxed his body was, it wasn't someone who was scared of her, that was for sure. "Vinnie can't see me like this ... He wouldn't understand," he was a seraph after all. She knew how they conspired with the clergy of this world to destroy anything and anyone that seemed just a bit daemonic. Even though she wasn't daemon, her race had been associated with them for far too long in this world.

Once Gaspar was dressed, she was helped out of the bed, making it easier for her to get out. The place where she had laid was a bit darkened as if something very warm had been resting on it. She followed however, out to the living room where she had to stop for a few seconds. Her wounds were healing alright, but she still wasn't too sure on her feet. At least she knew she could keep hidden in the shadows, but the problem was if Gaspar wanted to come with her. "I need to go home and fix myself ... I know you don't like going out, so I'm not asking you to," the hound said in its raspy voice, looking at the shifter. Looking towards the door, she knew what had happened last time she had left. Would he be upset with her again? "I don't want to leave, but if he sees me then he might not want me around any longer," she said, eyeing the bedroom door a little unsure of what to do. She wanted to be with Gaspar, but he was torn between the two of them.

They went to the livingroom and Gaspar looked at her in worry as she stopped. Did she have trouble walking? He sat down on his knees by her side, letting her lean a little towards him if she needed the support. She spoke of going home and his eyes did show a bit of sadness at the notion of her going. He didnt want her to go but it also made sense that she needed to to get better. It was just like when he was sick, wasnt it? “Is okay. Get… better… for me.” He said, lifting his hands to hold her beastly head in a gentle touch. “Love.. you.” He said, smiling a little before he hugged her in close. “How I… find you?”

He was almost too sweet, and she felt like she didn't deserve it. He pulled her in, and she was actually rather surprised, but pressed her jaw against his back, pulling him a little closer. It was relieving that he actually didn't mind her looking this way. But how would he find her? She breathed out in a sigh, "I think it's best if you wait until I come back ... It's not safe to go looking for me," she said. Sure, her home would be safe, but getting there could be a bit of a walk. She had a phone, but writing her number down wouldn't really help much when she couldn't write it down, and she didn't think the shifter knew how to read nor write. "I promise as soon as I'm better, I'll come by, and I'll make sure you have everything you need to find me another time, alright?" she promised him, pulling away to look at him. Pressing her snout against his shoulder, she tilted her head a little to the side. "Try and show him some attention while I'm gone ... I don't want you to be sad."

He could feel her pull him in and it made him really happy. He at least had a faint smile over his lips as his arms were close around her. If he could go see her, then he wouldnt have to be so worried about waiting for her to get here, right? She made a promise to come back and he blinked a few times, though seemingly trusted her like it had never been broken. He was maybe naive like that. But her words were almost sugar coated, so how could he say no? The remark of showing Vinnie attention made him nod. He would try not to get too swallowed up in missing her too much. He looked at her, moving a hand up to touch her face that was way different from how he normally saw her. He didnt quite know how to interact with dogs just yet but he at least showed interest in touching and being near her.

Hunter nodded. She couldn't really smile in this form, but you could see on her eyes how happy it made her that he was responding so positively. "Love you," she said, licking his cheek carefully. It was a very different lick from when she was a human, but it showed that she cared for him deeply. She didn't really have time to linger, nudging her snout against his shoulder one last time before she went to the door, waiting for him to open it, so she could get out. The front door down stairs she could handle, but this one was different. Once out on the street she took it slow getting home, staying in the shadows and out of view.

Vinnie had managed to get himself out of bed, heading to the bathroom to have his morning wee. He looked for his sweatpants, but he couldn't find them. He could've sworn he had left them on the floor next to the bed! Humming to himself he just went over to grab a new pair, pulling them on pretty easily. He then pulled an unzipped hoodie on, walking out in to the apartment as he yawned. Looking around he saw Gaspar, sending him a tired smile. "What are you doing up? You're always the last one out of the bed," he chuckled, a bit of a better mood right now as he went to the kitchen, opening the fridge to start thinking about what he wanted to eat.

The lick was well recieved and he made sure to see her off before he was left to his own. He wasnt really used to being the first one up, so he felt a little aimless, ending up standing by the window to look out on the world like he had when he was a cat. He heard Vinnie move around, already feeling a longing for Hunter who had left but she had told him to be nice to Vinnie. When the seraph came in, Gaspar looked his way, seeing the tired smile. “Dog leave.” He said, which could mean that things could only get bad now. That he would spend the whole time complaining about not knowing where Hunter went. But he was quiet as he joined the seraph in the kitchen, moving closer before he hugged him close from behind, pressing his head softly against his upper back from their height differences. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. Yeah, he was definitely remembering what Hunter reminded him to do. And Vinnie did deserve it, after how they had at least talked things out yesterday.

Hunter had left? It made Vinnie frown, his face getting a bit more serious as the news woke him up a bit. Here we go again, he thought. Gaspar would be moping around the apartment, and the seraph would once again feel inadequate. It seemed like this was just how things were going to be. But instead of getting upset, he just went to the kitchen, starting on some breakfast for the two of them. The cat turned human was easy to cook for, mostly because he just wanted something with fish and he would be fine, but Vinnie had tried to get him to eat different things.
That was when he felt the hug from behind, and frankly he was very surprised, stopping his movements as he felt the face against his back. Was he trying? Was Gaspar actually trying to remember him despite Hunter not being here? He stood for a little bit in silence before a small smile crept up on his lips and he continued to cook for them. It wasn't some grand breakfast, just something rather easy; Some eggs, some bread and some leftover tuna they had from the fridge. "I got work off today," he finally said, hoping that Gaspar understood what he was saying. "I was thinking we could go for a walk around the neighborhood? I can show you where I work and, uhm, we could get some take out?" he suggested. Of course the shifter didn't like going out, but maybe today he was lucky?

He was genuinely trying to show that he wasnt trying to be mopey and sad this time around. He just had hope that Hunter would be back like she promised; and not think of when that should be. He rubbed his face against his back, purring softly and just enjoying having his arms around the seraph.
His face lit up as Vinnie made it clear that he didnt have work. Sure, he was sad when one of them was missing but both felt just downright terrible. The suggestion made him wrinkle his nose a little as he thought about it. He felt a little unsure. But would it make Vinnie happy? He looked up at the back of his head. “Yes.” He agreed.
The smell of the fish got a happy noise out of the shifter as he let go and moved over to his side to look at the food being prepared. “Tuna” he said. If there were words he had learned perfectly, then it was the food he wanted.

He was surprised to hear him so complacent. He usually had to beg or find something to bribe him with, but it was going so well. He hummed as the cat turned human realized what he was making for breakfast. "Yeah, I thought some tuna might cheer you up," he said with a small shrug. It wasn't even the canned kind, it was quite nice. He looked at Gaspar briefly, smiling as he saw how he at least seemed more cheerful at the notion of some good food. "You know ... I was thinking of something," he said, transferring the eggs from the pan to a plate for him and a bowl for Gaspar. The shifter seemed to need the sides of the bowl to help him still, but he didn't mind. "I thought that the two of us could try maybe doing some couple stuff?" was that too much to ask? Or did he not know what he meant by that? "You know, we already kiss and stuff, but I would like to take you out for dinner some time or go on dates - real human stuff," he chuckled, shaking his head a little at himself as he looked at the plate. It was too much to ask, right? Gaspar barely left the apartment, and he didn't fare well in the outside world. He felt a little selfish for asking this, but he just wanted to let him know that he was interested in it. He took a deep breath, shaking his head, "just.. Forget I asked," it was too big of a step anyways. But Vinnie felt a little weird when he didn't know where him and Gaspar were. What sort of relationship this was. It was hard enough to try and figure out if he could see other people or if the cat turned human expected him to only be with him and by that extension Hunter.

Was it weird that sometimes Vinnie forgot that Gaspar had been a cat, living his life without a care of human things? He sighed a little, though as the shifter pushed him, he turned to look at him, only to be greeted by those sweet soft lips he had come to crave. He couldn't stop his hands from reaching out, holding Gaspar by his hips as he felt cheeky enough to prolong the kiss slightly. Though not for too long, pulling away to breathe in soft pants. "You're really full of surprises today, huh?" he muttered softly, smiling a little as it had clearly cheered him up. His hands were still on the shifter's hips, his fingertips digging lightly in to his sides, but not trying to keep him in place.
"C'mon, let's eat," he said, opting to put his worries aside for another day. He wanted to try and be positive as well, seeing as he knew that Gaspar was trying his best to be so as well. He let go, albeit a little reluctantly, before he grabbed their plates - or rather the bowl for Gaspar and the plate for himself, asking Gaspar to grab some cutlery as he knew where that was. He moved it over to the couch, placing the food down on the coffee table, turning on the TV that seemed permanently stuck on the animal channel. Vinnie didn't complain about that, though he had to admit sometimes he wanted to watch whatever trash reality show that was popular, just to keep up to date with what was coming out.

The seraph seemed to return the kiss and Gaspar felt the hands on his hips that he didnt mind. Vinnie could touch and grab at him anywhere and he most likely wouldnt mind. Unless he really didnt like the certain touch, but the seraph would be told off in what Gaspar deemed a fair manner. The kiss was dragged out and Gaspar didnt mind but he felt a little lightheaded from holding his breath. He gasped softly as the kiss was broken, looking at Vinnie with soft eyes. The mutter felt good. Was it a compliment?
He could feel how Vinnie’s fingers were digging into him and he didnt mind. But it did make him wonder if there was something he should do for him? He still wasnt so sure on human customs. He was let go and went to grab cutlery as asked before joining the seraph on the couch. He felt cheeky enough to just lie down over the seraph’s thighs with his lower back, smiling a little playfully at him as he would just sort of keep him there if he wasnt going to move him. He didnt really pay attention to the TV and probably wouldnt while he was doing this.

Vinnie ate his food as Gaspar placed himself on him, scoffing softly as he looked down at the shifter now practically laying in his lap. "Aren't you going to eat your breakfast?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he took a careful sip of his morning coffee. It was still rather hot, but he couldn't function too well without his caffeine. Placing his mug down, he took another bite of food, looking at the TV as he ate. He wasn't much of a morning person, preferred being a night owl if he could help it.
As he ate his last bite he placed down the plate on the coffee table, leaning back with the last bit of coffee in his hand. He was slowly waking up, and lucky at that because he usually took too long getting out of his groggy temper. Perhaps the kiss had helped a lot? He could also feel the crave for a cigarette, but for now he could push it away if Gaspar had curled up on him once more. His free hand was mindlessly running through the yellow-eyed guy's hair, touching the light curly texture. It felt nice, compared to his bleached-dead hair that most of all probably felt like hay. "I know you miss her and all ... But isn't it just a little nice just to be the two of us for today?" he asked, not sure how to say it without sounding like he put Hunter down.

Well at least the shifter ate something, right? That was all that mattered. However the notion of playing made him frown. "What do you want to play?" he asked, because it wasn't like they had a lot of room for Gaspar to run around chasing a toy. And besides that, did he even enjoy it now that he was in a human form? So many questions and yet he didn't really feel the need to ask. He leaned down, placing a kiss against his forehead rather simply before leaning back once more. He was rather cute like this, wasn't he? All snuggled up to him, holding his hand and actually looking more relaxed than he ever had when it was just the two of them. "I mean, I guess we still have your kitty toys and all that," if that was truly what Gaspar meant.

How humans play? Now that was a good question. Kids only really played, as far as Vinnie knew, and once you got older you sorta just hung around your friends. Either that or you played around, but that was more sexual, wasn't it? "Who cares how humans play; Here you can play however you want to," he said with an encouraging smile. If Gaspar wanted to chase a stuffed animal, then he wouldn't mind one bit. "Though," he said, moving his free hand down the shifter's stomach, tapping lightly against the hem of his pants, "some adults like to play how you, me and Hunter do." Just putting it out there that it was also a possibility. However he thought Gaspar might want to actually play with something. "I'm going to teach you how to play go fish ... It's a card game," he said, getting up to go grab a deck of cards.