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This week had been hell. First Mikhail’s car broke down which meant bus rides to and from the campus. Then Ian started hearing something near the house and was terrified to stay alone. He took as much time off as he could, but he had to finally go back in. He had to be available for office hours today, it was too close to exams not to be. He heaved a heavy sigh as he looked at the bag he’d brought with him. He’d added a pillow and some blankets so it would be safe and Ian was sitting in there playing with a smaller tablet. It would be awful getting home today. Early in the morning the bus was quiet, but there’s been a lot of people in the afternoon lately.
“Is everything ok?” Ian said, poking his head out of the bag. Mikhail smiled at him and reached down using a finger to ruffle his hair. Ian made a face as Mikhail pulled away, he couldn’t stop the chuckle.
“Everything is fine, remember you have to keep your head down and stay quiet until I tell you,” Mikhail said, his tone mirthful while scolding.
“It’s fine no one is-”
“Professor, are you still available for office hours?” another voice called from the door. Mikhail raised an eyebrow as Ian looked up a bit scared and dove back down. He smiled at Ian’s confidence even away from home before turning to face the student who’d shown up. This was who he’d been waiting on to be truthful, she’d been falling behind recently.
“Of course, come right in,” he answered, motioning to the seat in front of him. She wasted no time taking the seat and pulling out all the papers she’d collected. He knew this would be a few hours and sent a silent apology to Ian.
He waved as his student finally left, she shut the door knowing it was far past his office hours at this point. At least she would be well set for her finals and thesis at the end of the semester. He leaned back in his seat groaning, looking at his bag for Ian’s small face to poke up. When there were no bright eyes, he felt himself panic and carefully moved the bag open. He was flooded with relief as Ian rolled over slightly squinting at the light. He smiled and pulled the tablet out. He closed the bag enough to hide Ian then slid the tablet in the side pocket. He gathered all his things quietly before gently lifting the bag.
They were leaving a lot later than he’d intended, at least the bus should be mostly empty. He carefully pulled the bag up on his shoulder, trying to keep his movements smooth. The bus ride should be simple, it was past rush hour. He shivered a bit as the wind blew once he walked out of the building. He opened the bag a little and carefully put his scarf around Ian. It hung out of the bag, but he closed it over enough to hide Ian and keep him warm.
The bus came quickly and Mikhail waved it down. It was almost empty so he took a seat further in the back placing his bag carefully next to him. He’d needed to check his emails, the holidays approaching meant his aunt was expecting more updates on his plans. He’d only been looking away for a minute or two when the easy trip became treacherous. He looked over to check on Ian when the person about to sit on his bag made his heart stop. He pushed the person and felt his own height shifting up. It had been a long time since he’d had this surge of panic grip him, claws forming on his fingers and caught on the person’s coat.
“Buddy what the fuck?” they screamed. Mikhail’s mind was a mess; he looked down and saw Ian’s wide eyes meeting his own. He didn’t think, clutching his bag and running off the bus. He wasn’t thinking, his claws getting a bit sharper as he rushed. He had to get home, get Ian safe then he could worry about everything. About how Ian would act seeing the bits of him that were a little less human. The parts he’s spent so much of his life controlling. He hadn’t realized how big he was getting as he ran, thankful he’d moved on his own to a town with a large forest. The bag fit in one hand, he could still tell Ian was there though. His senses grew stronger, more predatory, as his size changed.
He saw his home come into view and a wave of relief washed over him. He wouldn’t be able to get in like this, but he could bring Ian to the spot he’d sneak in and out of as Mik. He’d be stuck like this for a while, he couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs. What if he’d stayed distracted? What if he’d dozed off? What if he was on the busier bus and someone did something? What if he’d moved wrong? What if he’d hurt him?
He got as close to his house as possible using two of his clawed fingers to put the bag where he could still see the covered entrance. The sharper vision was a relief when he got like this, but he didn’t want Ian to see him. Ian would know he’s a monster and finally want to leave. It would probably be safer for him though. He stayed closely and watched for Ian to poke his head out. He would do his best to keep his voice quiet and let him know he could go inside. He’d call Mandy to come by with Maria once he calmed down enough to use his phone again.
Ian finally poked out of the bag, Mikhail could see him looking around. He knew Ian was probably looking for an escape route. He could go inside though, there would be time before Mikhail could do anything and Ian could hide. He could gather any supplies he needed, Maria could help him feel safe after this. He had to work up courage to talk, the frantic searching Ian seemed to be doing was making him more nervous.
“You can head in there’s an entrance in front of you,” Mik’s booming voice sounded behind him. He whipped his head around, relieved Mik hadn’t abandoned him after all. He thought for sure Mik was mad he’d poked his head out on the bus, but there was a shadow over the bag and he got curious.
Ian wanted to talk, but his words were caught in his throat. Mik didn’t look like Mik. He had these long black claws on his fingers and his eyes looked the same as the cat the bad human had in their house. He wasn’t sure this was Mik anymore, but the voice sounded like his when he got bigger. It had to be Mik, he wouldn’t let anything hurt him. So he could feel safe, right?
“Mik?” he asked. He watched the thing that looked like Mik nod and instantly relaxed. If it was Mik then he didn’t have to worry. He climbed out of the bag on the side facing Mik and started to walk towards him.
“Ian no, you should go inside,” his voice was gruff and sounded off. Ian didn’t want to be the only one inside though. It would make him feel worse about making Mik bring him along today. He ignored Mik and started walking towards the hand he’d left on the ground. He climbed on top of it and stared up at him. He could make out some of the green he knew behind the yellow. This was definitely Mik it would be fine.
“Not until you do,” he said. He’d felt a lot better standing up to Mik even when he was bigger than humans recently. Mik had been so scared when he told him about when he was a kid, Ian didn’t want him to be sad or scared again.
“Ian, I might be stuck like this for a while…it’s too cold for you to stay out with me.”
Ian knew what he was thinking was stupid. He should listen to Mik and go inside, but he looked so sad. Ian didn’t want to leave Mik alone right now. He took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the sleeve on the hand he was standing on. He started climbing before Mik could stop him. Mik was usually too scared to touch him when he was even human size so he shouldn’t have any issue doing this. His plan backfired almost immediately as his shirt was carefully pinched between two of Mik’s claws. He froze up instantly, terrified of falling from this height. Mik chuckled a little and Ian relaxed a bit in response.
“You’re a brat lately, do you know that?” Mikhail sighed. He brought a hand up to Ian so he’d be on a safer surface. Ian didn’t have to pretend to be brave; it was all right for him to be scared. People were scared even when he didn’t change his size much and these traits came out. A fun side effect of the blood that made him a shifter in the first place.
“Well that has to be your fault since you’re the only way I could be one,” Ian snarked. Mikhail laughed curling his fingers over Ian to keep him safe. Once his laughter died down he looked at Ian a bit more closely. He wasn’t shaking, and there wasn’t any scent of fear. Maybe Ian wasn’t pretending after all. “So…how come you have claws and stuff?”
Ian felt Mik’s hand tense as soon as the words left his mouth. He shouldn’t have asked, maybe he did something that caused it. Humans had some weird stuff based on the things he saw watching shows with Mik. Ian could have done something that did this by accident. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Mik sighed, it was enough to knock Ian on his back. He hadn’t realized just how much Mik’s small movements could affect him right now, it made him shudder.
Ian pushed the thought away, just in time too. Mik pulled his hand closer to him and Ian could tell just how different this was then normal. He was in the middle of his palm, normally he could stretch out and touch Mik’s chest when he was held like this. Right now he barely took up much room on the hand holding him. Mik could hurt him easily if he wanted to, and yet he held the bag carefully when he was running. He’d put it down gently and grabbed Ian by his clothes so he couldn’t hold him too tightly. Mik was safe, even if Ian was the size of dust to him Mik would always be safe.
Mik curled his fingers in almost touching Ian before air rushed around him. He felt his heart beat faster as the movement kept going. There was a booming sound of impact that Ian flinched from. He didn’t want Mik getting hurt because of him. There was more movement and smaller booms before it finally stopped. The air rushed around him again before a heavy thump sounded. The fingers above him uncurled and he was looking up at Mik again. He slowly sat up, ignoring the way Mik’s eyes were following him. He saw the tree Mik was sitting by, they weren’t close to the house anymore.
“D-did you walk over here?” Ian asked. He didn’t mean to stammer, but that would mean the air rushing by and the loud sounds were just Mik moving. Mik wasn’t that colossal…was he?
“Y-yes, I thought it would be better to talk where we could both probably be more comfortable,” Mikhail answered. He should probably have warned Ian, but he didn’t want to take the time to let the idea stew in his mind. He’d caught bits of fear from him and didn’t want to give himself time to reconsider. He sat with his knees up near his chest and placed his hands on top of them. The one with Ian flat, the other cupped around like a barricade from the chilly air. He hadn’t felt the part of him that reacted forcefully calm at all, he was stuck for a while yet.
“…I never thought about how it would be when you move and you’re so big…” Mikhail tried to ignore the smell of fear that grew as Ian spoke.
Ian was overcome by a terrified awe. Mik was so big, but still careful not to hurt him. He tried to imagine being on the ground when he moved and the image terrified him. Mik’s sigh had knocked him over, he’d probably be bounced around by his steps. It made Ian nervous to think of, at some point he’d have to walk while Ian wasn’t on him. He looked at Mik and saw how focused his gaze on him was, he’d be fine when that day came. Mik would never let him get hurt.
Ian was watching Mikhail expectantly. He didn’t really want to explain this part to Ian. He could still see Maria’s fear in his mind the first time his claws came in and his eyes changed. He hadn’t even been much bigger than a normal human. She got used to it eventually, but he never wanted Ian to look at him like that. He curled his fingers in, he hadn’t meant to do it. The more he got in his own head, the more he panicked the harder it would be to get back to normal at all. He just needed to keep his family safe, once he knew Ian was safe he would start to revert…probably. He let out a sigh again, wincing a bit when he saw it knock Ian over for the second time. He had to be more careful; he was more like a force of nature to Ian than just a human right now.
“So you remember what I said, about having a blessing or something passed down in my family’s blood?” he started, Ian nodded vigorously. “Well, the thing that gave us power wasn’t exactly…kind. They had apparently hunted humans…and borrowers. I spent a long time making sure I could keep this part under better control, but I panicked on the bus…”
Mikhail couldn’t look at Ian. He was sure he’d be met with panic, the fear would follow after. He knew his claws let him be more careful, but it didn’t stop them from being scary. His eyes helped him follow borrowers even when his size made them seem the size of ants. His senses were heightened and the fear wafted off of everyone as they met him like this. He had started holding his breath after he spoke, he didn’t want to smell Ian’s fear. He hadn’t even learned his natural scent yet either. It wasn’t something he should learn when he would probably be leaving. He twitched his fingers and waited for the scream that would follow it.
“So…you get claws and weird eyes?” Ian asked. He nodded, preferring not to say the scent thing. He remembered Mandy panicking when she heard that and worried he’d be too much like his ancestors. She’d kept him under strict watch until he started to control this part of himself better. “What else do you do?”
He had to breathe now, he couldn’t answer if he didn’t. He took a deep breath and froze, there was no fear. He caught a bit of cinnamon, but there was no fear coming from Ian. He leaned closer to his knees and Ian didn’t even flinch. How on earth was Ian careless like this? He should be terrified, Mikhail just said he’s something that used to hunt people. Unless Ian doesn’t realize what he meant. He’d have to explain it more clearly. This was the worst outcome of Ian going with him to work.
“I-I can see better, even if you were the size of an ant to me I’d be able to pick you out and see your face. It would be a little blurry though. Then I can…smell you and others. You all have a scent…I can smell fear…too,” he said, hanging his head. He waited for that strong sweet smell to join the hints of cinnamon he started to get. It was taking longer than he expected. He felt Ian pat the hand he had used as a wind guard and looked up quickly.
“I think that sounds kind of cool.” Ian looked up at Mik’s eyes, seeing more green than earlier. “I mean if you can see me almost perfectly I don’t have to be scared when you’re like this. Right?”
Ian watched as the yellow almost completely left Mik’s eyes. Mik leaned forward close enough Ian could feel his warm breath. He wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but didn’t move. Mik would never hurt him so he could just wait for him to be ready to answer. He wasn’t entirely unafraid, Mik did look scary, but he knew he was safe. There was something dark behind Mik’s eyes right now too. It started to make him wonder if, just maybe, there was more to ‘hunted’ than he thought.
“Ian…,” Mik whispered, Ian stared up at his brother. “Stop pretending you’re alright. I can tell you’re scared. What’s on your mind?”
Mik pulled away and Ian shivered as the cold air hit him again. He stared at Mik and saw more of the darkness in his eyes. He got worried that he did something to hurt him. He didn’t want to be alone again. Mik had been the first person that seemed to really care about him. He felt stinging in his eyes as tears tried to fall in the cold. He almost screamed when one of Mik’s claws came close, relieved when it was pulled away after wiping one of his tears he hadn’t felt fall. The claw stayed close and he reached out to hold on to it.
“Ian, you don’t have to be brave. I know I’m scary like this. I had wanted you to go inside so you didn’t have to…” Mikhail trailed off. He wouldn’t admit he didn’t want Ian to know he could get like this. He tried desperately to ignore the newer wafts of fear coming from his brother. “I can bring you back over to the house, we can talk more once I calm down more.”
“You keep saying calm down, I don’t even know why you have to calm down. I’m not scared of you, just nervous about some things. Like why you keep looking at me like that, like you want me to go away. I don’t want to lose my family again,” Ian said. Mikhail felt his eyes go wide. He wanted to laugh, panicked and afraid of himself he’d run off the bus. Ian didn’t even know what happened. He leaned his head back hitting the tree he’d been leaning against. He didn’t even notice he’d gotten at least a foot shorter.
“On the bus…I almost let you get hurt. I had looked away for a few minutes and when I looked over someone had almost sat on the bag you were in. I acted without thinking, I had to protect you. I pushed them away, but I’d had the claws start already and tore their jacket. I panicked when I saw your head out of the bag, you looked terrified. I ran here after that, Ian I could have hurt them badly without thinking about it. I could hurt you without realizing it,” Mikhail said, on the verge of tears. He’d wondered since these traits showed up if that night with his parents there was more that he wasn’t told. That he’d done more. Now with Ian, he’d completely lost himself in fear on the bus. He could have hurt him so easily.
Ian was angry at himself. Mik wouldn’t be like this if Ian could just be brave. He was only there because he was scared to be alone. He shouldn’t have mentioned the weird noises he’d heard, then Mik would have left like usual and they’d already be inside. Ian started to cry, the wind making his tears sting his skin. He was bawling within seconds, rubbing his eyes to try and stop the tears. He needed to be strong and tell Mik he’d leave like he wanted. That way this wouldn’t happen again. He jumped, but relaxed into the touch when Mik carefully rubbed his back.
“I’m sorry Ian, I should have done better. It’s alright you don’t have to cry. I’ll get you back inside safely soon and then we can…,” Mik struggled to say it. “We can call Mandy and Maria and they can help you.”
“P-please don’t send me away,” Ian started to beg, “I’ll be brave about weird noises. I won’t ask to go with you when you leave again. I’ll be good. I don’t want to be alone again. Please…”
“Wh- no..Ian, I don’t want to send you away. I thought… I thought you were crying because I almost let you get hurt. Ian-”
“I’m sorry I won’t make you so mad you get the claws and stuff again. Please give me another chance.”
“Ian listen to-”
“I’ll stay in the house in your room unless you tell me. Or-or stay in the walls unless you call for me. I’ll just be a normal borrower and leave you alone. I-I really don’t want to leave you even if we don’t spend time together anymore. Please…please.”
Mik knocked Ian out of his spiral, literally. He’d leaned forward and nudged Ian with his nose gently. Ian immediately reached his arms out as far as possible to hug the nose that was currently larger than him. He kept crying and begging Mik to keep him. He didn’t want to start over and be alone. Mik said they were brothers, but his parents left him…they probably didn’t even care if he survived that day. Mik didn’t try to speak, just let Ian cry while holding him close. It was a few minutes before Ian’s crying fell to sniffles.
“Ian…I’m not sending you away. I wouldn’t do that. I just…I thought you finally saw the monster I am. I don’t want you living anywhere you’re scared Ian,” Mikhail explained. He could smell the fear, it only made him feel more protective of his little brother. This was a mess neither deserved, it was his own fault he’d made the mistakes. Ian was crying so hard, it shouldn’t be like this. He was determined to make sure he was safe. He felt his claws growing again, but his size shifted down. A better result than the other possibilities.
“Th-then can I ask you something? Will you promise not to get mad?”
“You can ask anything.” Mikhail pulled away slightly and tried to smile at Ian. It wasn’t easy to feel happy about all of this. He couldn’t imagine what he had to ask. He just had to stay calm with whatever it was.
“What did you mean by hunted? I don’t think I’ve heard that word before.” Mikhail felt his blood run cold. He had no idea why he assumed Ian would know what that meant. He was a kid who lived with indoor borrowers and a cruel human. He wasn’t scared because he didn’t know what hunting meant. He didn’t know that his ancestors had been…monsters. He wasn’t ready to explain this, he had to though. He couldn’t just not answer. He sighed, before looking Ian in the eyes.
“Hunted is usually when…someone or something stalks or-or follows something they see as well, uh, food. My… ancestors were a kind of magic creature that would hunt humans and borrowers. They uh, they needed them for…food.” Mikhail was hit with a strong smell of fear and his world shifted. Within seconds he was in the snow with Ian laying on the ground in front of him. He jumped up and ran to his brother, terrified he’d been hurt in the fall.
Ian groaned as he started to push himself up. He never expected Mik to drop him, he’d been terrified when he thought of something that could smell borrowers chasing them like Mik explained. He looked up for Mik, his fear spiking when there was no looming form dwarfing him. He felt his heart drop, Mik must have left him once he got scared. He asked something he shouldn’t have. He screamed as a hand touched his arm whipping his head to see the owner. His arms went slack as he recognized Mik and the concerned gaze despite his yellow eyes.
Mik tried to get him up, but seemed to struggle. Mik had carried Ian at this size plenty of times though. That seemed to wake him up, Ian jumped to his feet and looked down at Mik. Mik was always taller, he always had to look up. He was supposed to be at least an inch shorter than Mik, not the other way around. Something had gone wrong, he’d made something go wrong. He tried to reach for him, but Mik stepped back. There was something in his eyes, Ian didn’t like it. It made him think of when the bad human finally started to be bad, the way he felt then.
“Mik…what happened?” he asked. They were outside in snow, the worst thing for a borrower as the weather got colder. They had to move quickly, at least they could huddle in the bag until Mik was bigger, or they could use the entrance he mentioned.
“I-I…,” Mikhail was lost for words. He’d never expected to be looking up at Ian, the last time he was this small was when he was still a child. He had to protect Ian, but Ian was scared of him. At least if he was small then Ian didn’t have to be scared. Maybe that was why he was staring up into his brother’s brown eyes.
Neither had long to dwell on the situation before the bushes near them rustled. Mikhail tried to stand in front of Ian, but Ian wouldn’t let him. He grabbed his arm and started to run, the snow slowed them by a lot. Mikhail looked back, terror overwhelming him as a fox poked out of the bushes. It must have been the scratching Ian had heard. It was trying to get inside and find warmth or maybe a meal, his house was isolated enough it wasn’t uncommon. He’d been sure to make it wild animal proof though, so this would be the only chance it has to get that easy meal if it wasn’t seeking warmth.
Ian continued dragging him along, the two making minimal progress. Mikhail had to do something he had to protect Ian. He couldn’t get himself to shift though, he was stuck and they were in danger. Ian tripped and looked back finally seeing the fox. Mikhail tried to move him forward, but Ian was stronger right now. He pushed Mikhail in front of him then turned and started to walk towards the fox. Mikhail’s blood ran cold.
“Ian what are you doing?!” he screamed. He couldn’t stop picturing the worst if the fox decided to pounce on them. “We have to keep going until we reach the house, it hasn’t decided to pounce yet!”
Ian shook his head and Mikhail’s blood was like ice. He wouldn’t be able to survive a fox. Mikhail knew they wouldn’t make it to the house either. The fox was eyeing them and he saw the predatory stance. It reminded him of the cat with Maria, almost. This was more dangerous; it wouldn’t be a simple cut if he even managed to shift. He had to stop this.
“Y-you’re out here, l-like this because of me,” Ian stammered. He knew Mik hadn’t moved yet. He looked over his shoulder trying to be strong. “I-I’ll distract it. K-keep going.”
Ian didn’t want to wait for Mik to move and started to move towards the fox again. If he was braver this wouldn’t be happening. If he didn’t panic when Mik explained hunting because of his own imagination Mik would be safe and so would he. He would make it up to him though. Mik would get home and go back to his life without a borrower holding him back anymore. He didn’t need someone like Ian who couldn’t even borrow right in the first place. He shouldn’t have survived getting pulled away in the current back then.
The fox perked up more as Ian approached it. His entire world seemed to be slipping away as Ian walked away from him. Mikhail couldn’t breathe, his body was shaking. Ian would die and it was his fault. He didn’t protect him, he didn’t protect his family. He’d failed again…no he hadn’t failed yet. It was like something took him over and everything in the world looked…different. It was clearer, he could sense the feelings of the fox, the joy at the easy meal. His brother would never be an easy meal. Not while he was alive.
Ian was knocked on his back as something crashed in front of him. The world shook around him and he tried to think. He was terrified, something big just landed, where was Mik? Was Mik safe? He didn’t get to look before a shadow covered him, something huge surrounded him completely. His world was completely dark, is this something new humans figured out? Was this one of the things that hunted humans Mik talked about? His heart was racing, was his brother safe?
There was a loud rumble above him followed by the muffled sound of a fox barking. The rumble grew loud enough to be a clear growl. The fox yelped and Ian heard the bushes rustle again. He didn’t know what was going on, his panic rising. He needed to find Mik, make sure he wasn’t hurt. The thing around him started to move but came closer at the same time. When the light came in he wanted to get ready to run, but there was a humongous face above him. The face of the one person who always made him feel safe, even when he was scared. Mik.
Mikhail wasn’t sure what happened. He’d been huge and growling before he could think, fucking growling he never growled before. He slowly moved his hand, sliding his fingers to circle around the center. He needed to see that he hadn’t hurt Ian. When he saw Ian alive, the sweet scent of fear and strong cinnamon hitting him was still a relief. Fear meant alive, it meant he hadn’t accidentally killed his brother. Ian stared up at him, brown eyes filled with fear. He couldn’t believe he was even able to see him so clearly. He started to open his hand more and free Ian from the prison he’d made.
Ian had other plans. Once he recognized Mik everything became overwhelming. He stood up as fast as he could when Mik started to pull away and ran to the closest bit of finger. He was miniscule to his brother right now, but he didn’t care. Mik saved him, he always saved him and Mik was safe too. He leaned into the bit of finger, he wasn’t even tall enough to touch the top of it, but he didn’t care. He’d been terrified he’d lost his family again.
“Ian, are you alright?” Mikhail tried to be as quiet as possible. He’d never been this large around a borrower before. He didn’t want to hurt him. He tried not to let himself be distracted by how clear yet small Ian looked right now, and how quickly the sweet smell of fear grew stale. He almost cried when he saw Ian’s tiny head nodding as he seemed to try and snuggle closer into him. Mikhail had all his stress leave him quickly, his size slowly shifting down. Once he was only a few feet taller than normal, he used his claws to pick Ian up and place him flat on his hand. He pulled his hand close, careful to keep his claws from being near enough he could prick Ian.
Ian was happy when Mik put him in his hand. It made him feel safer, the fox could come back. As Mik pulled his clawed fingers away Ian crawled over and hugged one tightly. He felt the finger getting smaller, his arms reaching the edges of the finger slowly. Mik didn’t say anything as he started walking. Ian didn’t care, he just wanted to keep feeling safe. Mik bent over at one point, a claw carefully steadying Ian against the finger he was hugging. He wouldn’t move until Mik made him. He didn’t want to be away from his brother, even just in the same room wouldn’t be enough.
He heard a door open and close and the bag hit the floor. Mik didn’t even try to take his coat off and Ian was glad. It took only a few minutes before he heard the bed creak as Mik sat down. He was reluctant to pull away, but finally stared up at his brother’s face. He couldn’t read his expression, the yellow in his eyes overpowering the green. His mouth was open slightly and Ian saw fangs that he wondered if Mik knew about. He knew he was safe, even when he couldn’t tell what Mik was thinking.
“You aren’t scared?” Mik asked. His brother’s claw came close slowly and nudged his back. He turned to grab it and met Mik’s eyes, Ian saw them slowly go back to his green. He nodded and saw the relief replace the weird look he had before. Mik gently pulled the claw away and held Ian close to his chest. There was a rumble that started and he was worried it was the growl again.
“A-are you mad?” Ian asked, Mikhail was happy his face wasn’t visible to his brother right now. First he learns he growls, now he purrs. These mysterious ancestors had a lot more odd traits that Mandy never mentioned, he’d have to bring that up next time they spoke. He laid back on the bed carefully holding Ian over his heart. He was just about his right size now, just a few inches larger than his normal. Today was a lot more of a mess than it should have been.
“Apparently I can purr,” he answered. He waited for Ian to say something, the silence grating on his nerves. Then Ian’s quiet laugh filled the air. Mikhail started to laugh with him, after everything that happened he learns he can purr. The two laughed for a good while, then Ian started to squirm out from under Mikhail’s hand. He climbed over his chest, Mikhail holding his breath to help him with his path. He then slid down his shoulder and curled up next to his neck.
“Well your purrs are loud I’m staying here instead of your chest tonight,” Ian said snuggling closer to his brother. He was safe and warm and wanted to sleep. It was probably late too, maybe, he was still bad at times. “It’s warm and safe now…”
Mikhail felt his claws shift back and the purrs finally started to die down. Ian said he felt safe, which meant he hadn’t failed. Maybe he wasn’t as much of a monster as he always thought. He couldn’t be if he made someone like Ian feel safe. Although there was one more thing they had to settle.
“Ian…” he started. Ian squirmed to show he was listening. “Next time we take a bus, you’re riding in a chest pocket.”