you'll never know what hit you

[akillersmile]

[ooc: This is the Kyle werewolf bite/curse log, plus random other stuff. Feel free to add a new thread or hit me up for plotting!]


i. WON'T SUSPECT A THING [CLOSED to Abigail] - backdated to earlier in March
Kyle arrived at the Widdowson Estate with relative calm. Where once the property was moderately intimidating, his previous chat with its owner had set him at ease and he now felt welcomed to the foreboding structure. Stepping up to the main stoop, he gave the door a few hard knocks and waited for either Abigail or one of her staff to open the door for him.

He wasn't expected and it didn't occur to him until standing at the door that she might not even be home. His concern for Alex was escalating, however, and if it was true that a witch could provide his friend with some kind of moon necklace, then he had to ask the most powerful witch he felt that he could ask. And then convince her that it was worth it, regardless of the price that he would need to pay.



ii. HURT YOU FROM INSIDE [OPEN to first response]
It was late into the evening when Kyle was out and about. While he hadn't exactly adapted the moniker of hunter, he had turned into something of a vigilante, keeping his eyes and ears out and trying to protect unsuspecting humans from vampires and other creatures of the night.

For once, it wasn't a vampire he stumbled onto, but a pair of injured people with what could only be animal scratches on their chests. Last he checked, there were no escaped wolves or rabid dogs in the area, which meant he was probably coming up on an actual werewolf. In wolf form. That would eat him alive.

He didn't pull his knife out yet, waiting for now as he followed the trail of blood. When he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the werewolf, that's when he had a real problem. The thing was on him before he even had time to draw his weapon, teeth clamping down on his left shoulder while it clawed at his side. Kyle struggled to get the thing off of him, the air knocked out of him from hitting the ground.

[ooc: Feel free to jump in to fight it, scare it away, or find Kyle after it leaves!]



iii. THE POISON IN YOUR BONES [CLOSED to Nancy]
It wasn't the brightest idea. Nancy told him it was a less than ideal neighborhood and here he was, stumbling around it injured and desperate in the middle of the night. He found her building after some backtracking, disoriented and working off of a shit memory anyway, and ran his hand across all the buzzers. Someone finally let him in, while another tenant cursed him out for the late buzz and most didn't respond at all. Once inside, he made his way to Nancy's door and begin pounding on it.

His left arm was curled defensively against his body. Kyle had wrapped his t-shirt around the wound and tucked it under his hoodie, which he zipped up to hide his otherwise scratched and exposed torso as well. When Nancy finally opened the door, he practically fell against the doorway.

"Hi." A smile, red lips on a pale face. "I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to go."

The black of the hoodie hid the color of the blood, but there were still traces on his face and his hair that the hood couldn't hide. With more light, even the black hoodie would reveal the moisture it absorbed.



iv. THE LOVER TO YOUR NIGHTMARE [CLOSED to Alex] - forward-dated to tomorrow
Nancy had taken care of the bulk of his injuries, but it was the curse that worried him more than the injuries or the pain. When he found out that it was something that couldn't be immediately healed, he'd waited until he was alone and allowed himself to break down for a minute. Then he slept it off.

Not that he slept well, or very long. More nightmares, now of himself killing someone and transforming into the monster that Alex was so afraid of. He refused to kill a living person, yet he also refused to live with the threat hanging over his head, like Skip did. He wanted to go back to being a normal human. And while there was a possibility of that, right now, he was running late for a breakfast date of sorts. They were supposed to be cooking french toast.

Kyle followed someone into the building and knocked on Alex's door. His hoodie hid what damage remained, though it was very apparent on his face that he'd slept like shit and wasn't exactly in full health. As if nothing was wrong, he offered her a smile. "Sorry I'm late."



v. A HEAVY BURDEN THAT YOU CAN'T BEAR (Clubbing) [OPEN] - end of March anytime
Kyle wasn't running away exactly. He was biding his time, accepting his powerlessness while he waited for the witches that were helping him to do more. Since he couldn't do anything other than wait, he spent the time coping in his own way: loud music and alcohol.

He was on his fourth drink, already tipsy and trying to make his way to plastered. He spent equal time between the bar, ordering and drinking his shots and beer, and the dance floor, losing himself in whatever company he could find. It took him back to the days when he was the guy guys wanted to be and girls wanted to be with. When it was easy. Whatever could help him forget the rest of the shit for now, even if the ache in his shoulder was a constant reminder.



vi. WHAT YOU MADE OF ME (Hillingdon House) [OPEN] - end of March anytime
Although not exactly a hunter, Kyle had been accepted as part of Hillingdon and had made casual acquaintance there for information and resources. Now it was time to step it up. He spent hours for days on end at the House, trying to find people with information to chat with, to find out more about everything there was to know. Including the political bullshit, trying to figure out where Hillingdon stood and who was with who.

His other objective was to buy a rifle. The soldier was missing his old best friend and the security she provided. He knew the laws, which is why he'd put it off this long, but Alex was right to keep a gun with wooden bullets. Between the vampires and the werewolves, Kyle was getting to be uncomfortably in over his head and wanted to remedy that.

Comments

[facethewolves]

Alex let him hold onto her wrists, her fists balling in his shirt as she leaned towards him. Her forehead almost touched his, but she pulled back slightly at the scent of shampoo and, now that she thought about it, a woman she didn't know. She didn't believe that Kyle would hook up with some other girl and then show up on her doorstep and kiss her, but she couldn't help the stupid visceral reaction to the scent. It was just the wolf, being possessive.

"Yeah. Of course. Whatever you need." She let go of his shirt and moved to help him stand and get to the bed, if he needed help.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, she was more able to process the fact that he had actually used the word 'together' to describe them. This really wasn't how she'd pictured it, or how she wanted it to happen, but despite the awful circumstances, but she was allowed to be a little bit happy, wasn't she?

"Do you wanna get together just so you can sleep in the bed?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood in an effort to stop herself worrying about him. If the witch was looking for a cure, that was all that could be done. It left her feeling kind of useless, and she hated that, but at least she could make sure he was physically alright.

[akillersmile]

Some part of him felt like this was too easy. Yeah, he was hurting like hell and working on almost no sleep, but he expected Alex to put up more of a fight somehow. Or to insist on kissing him more, though he supposed, in retrospect, it made sense that she might want to delay their sexy makeout until he wasn't bleeding and wincing with any stray touch.

"Yeah, I was going to propose for the sake of morality, but thought it might be a little much." He replied without missing a beat. Kyle followed her into the bedroom, not really needing help. Or needing it and casually refusing it anyway, one of the two. Either way, he groaned as he plopped onto the edge of the bed and immediately laid down with a sigh. "Believe it or not, I didn't come here to sleep. I actually wanted to see you."

[facethewolves]

She smiled at the joke, but immediately frowned when he laid down without taking his shoes off. She moved to yank them off and toss them on the floor whether he liked it or not.

Rather than let him get too serious or sappy, she shrugged and said, "I get it. You could've died, it's normal to get emotional after something like that."

It was easier to play it off casually, to keep a little emotional distance until she was sure he'd be alright and that this was really real rather than just a reaction to getting attacked.

Alex wished she had pain killers or a sedative or something to offer him, but with even her worst injuries healing in minutes or seconds, she didn't have a use for them. He'd taken such good care of her after the full moon, and she felt like she couldn't do the same now that he needed it, which annoyed her. At least she could get him something to drink. She stood up and headed for the kitchen to get a glass of water.

[akillersmile]

Kyle let her take his shoes, kind of confused why she wanted to yet not really caring enough to question. He frowned at her remark though, reaching out to grab her wrist and stop her from walking away, sitting up as he did with another groan.

"Hey. It's not like that. Jesus. I've had a thing for you since our first cooking class. But you said we were friends, then the vampire shit and then the werewolf shit and.. I've been close to death a lot, Alex. It doesn't make me do stupid shit. It makes me smarter." He sighed a little, wondering if she could actually understand how close to death he'd come before. It bothered him to think that she dismissed this as a reaction to a trauma. As if he needed someone and couldn't handle it alone. "I'm not emotional. I'm tired, and I'm in pain, and I'm a little horny. But I'm not emotional."

[facethewolves]

Alex grimaced when he pulled her back, but she sat on the edge of the bed facing him, tucked her hair behind her ear, and listened. She didn't doubt his sincerity, and she didn't doubt that he could have taken care of himself on his own. And once he was feeling a bit better, she would absolutely let herself be happy about this. Right now, though, the sight of him injured and in pain wasn't very conducive to romantic feelings. Neither was the thought of him being close to death a lot.

"Alright. You're not emotional." She smiled softly. "You just have really bad timing."

She pushed against his chest, trying to get him to lie down. "Sleep'll help your first two problems. And," she added, raising an eyebrow and almost-smiling at the fact that he was thinking about how horny he was so soon after being bitten by a werewolf, "you are not in any condition to do anything about that last one."

[akillersmile]

Kyle scowled at her initial response. Bad timing. For some reason, he thought she would be excited about their officially being a couple. He'd pictured a hot, albeit delicate, makeout scene, leading to a really good afternoon of sex. And then maybe sleeping, because she was right about it doing wonders for his wounds. What he didn't expect was to be accused of being emotional or not thinking clearly or any of that.

If he wasn't so exhausted, he might have thought about leaving just then. It wasn't like he wanted to pass out in her bed instead of having a real talk; Kyle hadn't realized how exhausted he was until he finally arrived in a more comfortable space.

As Alex was pushing him down, Kyle wrapped a hand around her neck to try to gently pull her down into another quick kiss. Whether she allowed it or not, he'd then acquiesce and lay back, dropping his head onto the pillow and already feeling some strange sense of relief.

"I'm very resilient," he murmured in response, as if having sex right now was just a matter of setting his mind to it. Although he'd pretty much given up on that one by this point.

[facethewolves]

The quick kiss felt easy and casual, like they'd done it a thousand times before, and when he backed out of it, Alex gave him another, equally quick kiss. She brought her hand up to the side of his neck, gently stroking her thumb along the side of his face as he laid down.

"Maybe when you feel better." She tried very hard not to smile at the fact that he had sex on the brain when he looked like he hadn't slept in days, but pretty much failed. For some reason, she found it stupidly charming that he could think about that under such bad circumstances.

She moved to fold the blanket over him. "Do you want anything besides a glass of water?"

[akillersmile]

Kyle closed his eyes at the feeling of her hand on his face, letting out a light hum of satisfaction at the contentedness he felt. At her comment, he opened his eyes to grin up at her. She damn well better believe it was happening sooner than later, though he knew she was right about needing at least a little time to recover first.

"Come lay with me," he replied finally. He wanted comfort. Not to be comforted - he'd managed that well enough on his own - but to be comfortable. And Alex was comfortable.

[facethewolves]

"Alright." Alex dropped her hand from the side of his face and padded into the kitchen.

She poured a glass of water and paused in front of the sink, taking a second to collect her thoughts. When she'd kissed him weeks ago, it had been a spur of the moment thing. If she thought about it too much, she'd think herself right out of this relationship, and she didn't want that. Even after weeks of discouragement, she wanted him.

She grabbed her laptop so she'd have something to do after he fell asleep, then set the glass of water down on the nightstand before sliding into bed next to him and gently running a hand through his hair.

[akillersmile]

Kyle slid down into the bed to truly get comfortable, not that he was, exactly. When Alex returned, he was halfway to turning up on his side to face her before he realized that was an awful idea and rolled onto his back again with a groan. His eyes drifted closed with the feel of her fingers in his hair. He hadn't realized how much he missed the feeling of that until now.

"Thanks," he muttered, reaching a hand out to rest on her thigh for lack of any place better to put it, wanting to touch her yet not really being able to turn or maneuver better than that.

[facethewolves]

Alex smiled as she settled back comfortably. While she was still worried about him, she also found it soothing to just lie there quietly with him beside her. She generally didn't go much for cuddling, but this was nice.

"Get some sleep," she said softly. Her fingers kept lightly stroking through his hair as she twisted around to kiss the side of his head.

[akillersmile]

Kyle obliged her, lulled to sleep by the gentle caress of her fingers in his hair. It was strange to be so taken care of, first by Nancy and then by Alex. He wasn't used to that kind of attention. Well, not for a very long time. He'd learned to be independent from the time he first ran, abandoning his sister. Everything since then felt like atonement. In that sense, having others take care of him felt like a betrayal somehow.

He dreamed of his sister.

[facethewolves]

For a while, Alex lay next to him, watching the rise and fall of his chest. Her hand drifted down from his hair to take hold of his hand, and she laced her fingers through his.

Eventually, she picked up the laptop and turned on a movie, keeping the volume as low as possible so it wouldn't disturb him.

[akillersmile]

He had no idea what time it was when he awoke. It was the most restful sleep he'd had in some time, thanks to being in a comfortable bed, a safe place, and exhausted beyond reason thanks to both physical illness and lack of previous sleep. He shifted as he came to, finding his surroundings unfamiliar, and it wasn't until he saw Alex that he remembered everything that had happened in his tired haze.

Kyle took stock. His hand was in Alex's and she was curled up beside him. Her laptop was frozen on the Netflix screen and he smiled at it, assuming she was still using his account. He glanced over to Alex's head, then leaned over until he could rest his cheek against her hair. It was more comfortable than he remembered, having a woman he cared about beside him.

"Hey," he whispered into her hair. "Are you awake?"

[facethewolves]

About halfway through the second movie, Alex had drifted off into a pleasantly dreamless sleep. From a long way away, she heard Kyle's voice calling her back to consciousness, and very reluctantly she opened her eyes and squinted at the computer screen.

"No," she mumbled. His body was warm against her back, the pillow was soft and deep, and she didn't want to move. Her half-asleep mind drifted back to all the times when rest had been impossible and she thought she'd never be able to shake the weariness that went right down to her core, all those days she'd been exhausted but had forced herself to move anyway. And now she didn't have to. She was warm, and comfortable, and with someone she cared about.

Slowly, she rolled over and glanced at him before closing her eyes again and smiling. As she rolled, she readjusted her arm so she wouldn't have to let go of his hand. "You look less like shit than you did this morning."

[akillersmile]

"Okay," he replied with a smile, watching her drift off again. Kyle watched her for the few seconds until she rolled over and opened her eyes again, shifting with her and then wincing with a fresh reminder of his wounds for his effort. The soldier rolled onto his back again, the safest position, and gave her a smile at her words.

"You really know how to flatter a guy," he chuckled, the memories of the previous forty-eight hours rushing back to him. The bite, Nancy's, getting cleaned up, the nightmares, the kiss, and now here in her bed. He glanced down at their clasped hands and then suddenly released hers, pushing himself to sit upright. "Shit. Did I get blood on your sheets?"

The wound at his waist wasn't bad, but his shoulder had bled up to the tape - which, thankfully, prevented it from leaking out onto fabrics. Kyle frowned at it, touching the area gingerly and deciding that was a terrible idea fairly quickly.

[facethewolves]

"Mm hmm," Alex mumbled sleepily, not paying too much attention to what he was saying. When she felt his hand suddenly release hers, she actually woke up, and sat up enough to look at him.

"It's okay, I've got other sheets." Well, no, she didn't. She smiled and said, half-teasing and half-serious, "Or you can buy me new sheets."

She sat up more and moved a little closer to him so she could easily peel the tape back to see the wound. She very quickly realized that was a bad idea. "I don't have any bandages."

[akillersmile]

"I can buy you new sheets," he echoed. Although Kyle wasn't making the best money, he could manage the random expense as needed. Although, thankfully, it looked like that might not be necessary.

He moved his hands to stop Alex as soon as she reached out for his bandage, stopping her halfway to taking it off. He didn't like the idea of her seeing him wounded and bleeding unless she really had to. Which, well, she might have to to help him change the bandages, but- "Not in bed. Nancy put some in my jacket, if you can help me get them on."

Kyle slid out of the bed, standing beside it. He awkwardly tugged to pull his shirt off while stretching as little as possible, revealing his few tattoos — a small silver heart, like a locket, on his left pec; a set of sergeant stripes with an American flag peeking through on his right shoulder; and a celtic cross with the letters 'VQP' woven inside on the center of his back — and the two large bandages on his right abs and left shoulder.

He groaned a little with the effort as he walked back toward the living room, where he'd left his jacket the night before, tossing his shirt on the back of the couch.

[facethewolves]

Alex watched curiously as he peeled his shirt off, counting his scars and tattoos and wondering what the tattoos meant. She'd seen plenty of attractive shirtless men in completely sexless circumstances, so it wasn't until he lowered his arms and tossed the shirt aside that it struck her that he was definitely attractive, very definitely shirtless, and that her feelings about him weren't remotely sexless.

She looked away suddenly before jumping up and then looking back at him sternly. "Sit down. I'll get them."

She hurried to his jacket and pulled out the bandages, then turned back to him, absolutely determined to change his bandage despite having almost no medical experience.

[akillersmile]

Kyle acquiesced by default as Alex scurried ahead of him, taking a seat on the arm of the couch as a form of compromise. His shoulder ached anew with the movement of taking off his shirt and he looked down at the wound with an impish pout on his lips. Carefully, very carefully, he peeled up the tape and pulled the bandage off of his shoulder, holding it in his lap and frowning at the scabbed and oiled remnants of his stupidity from the night before. The oils and gels had come from Nancy, of course, helping both to reduce the pain and to encourage his skin's healing.

"Put square on wound, tape down edges. I think you can handle it," he teases as he catches sight of Alex's somewhat helpless glance at the assortment of bandages.

[facethewolves]

"I think I can manage, thanks." Alex carefully placed the bandage over the wound and taped it down, doing her best not to hurt him but not being especially delicate, frowning in concentration the whole time. She grimaced as she ran her fingers over the tape to make sure it was properly stuck to him. Maybe it wasn't the best job ever, but it was serviceable, and at least it should stop him bleeding all over everything.

She drew back from him and looked him over to see if there was any other damage. Except for the two wounds, he looked more or less alright. Definitely better than when he'd first shown up.

"You need something to eat? A..." She almost asked whether he needed a shower, but it occurred to her that he might not be able to shower with the bandages on. She smiles slightly, raising an eyebrow as she asks, "A sponge bath?"

[akillersmile]

Kyle gingerly tested the claw marks on his side to ensure they were well enough and didn't also need to be replaced. Content with his findings, the soldier smiled at Alex and stood from his place on the couch to retrieve his shirt. He clenched his jaw before stretching to redress, letting out a soft groan with the associated pain.

"Right after you changed my bandages? Nah, I already-" He began, cutting himself off as he realized how that might sound and that he should probably explain. "My friend Nancy gave me one last night. I wasn't naked or anything. She's a witch and the only one I knew who could treat the wounds. I was in bad shape."

He lifted a hand to run through his hair and stopped halfway with the recollection of his immobility, dropping it to his side again and wondering what it was that had him on edge. "A burger sounds great right about now."

[facethewolves]

Alex stepped back, giving him a little room to get his shirt back on, though part of her wished he'd leave it off. She opened her mouth to respond to him, but decided just to listen and nod. She might not like smelling another woman on him, but she trusted him without even needing the explanation.

"Okay. I've probably got something burger-like." She grinned. Suddenly, this wasn't about his injuries or their tumultuous relationship or sex or werewolf bites or anything like that. It was just domestic, about as normal and boring as an afternoon could get, and that was really exciting. "And if not, we can order in."

[akillersmile]

Kyle sat back on the arm of the couch, silently staking claim of the territory. He liked that arm. With her offer of what she might have around the house, he smiled and reached out to take her hand with his better arm, pulling her back toward him. It was nice, not having to justify or defend his seeing Nancy.

"We should order in. I'm still tired and I know how you cook." He pulled at her arm more, to encourage her to lean down and gave her another light kiss. It felt easy and he somehow resented that it had taken him this long to find it again.

[facethewolves]

Alex's grin quickly turned into a mock frown when he insulted her cooking, but she couldn't keep it up for more than a few seconds. The smile returned when he kissed her, and she kissed him back, the hand he was holding moving to grab the front of his shirt while the other reached for the side of his face.

The idea of a normal boring afternoon eating take-out was exciting, but a normal boring evening would be just as exciting. They could order in later. She deepened the kiss, smiling against his lips, as the hand on his face slid around to tangle in his hair.