singillatim | he's got that dog in him

That name's even worse! Mouse? What the hell? And he's not small to begin with! (Oh God, is he small? Hickey doesn't know the average size of a wolf.)

He turns towards Crozier, ready to make every sort of whining noise of protest he can think of, when he spots Crozier burying his face into Raju's hair. And Hickey can't help it: he lets out a small growl of annoyance, staring down the two men. He's not doing anything, but he's making his displeasure known.

Raju looks down at the wolf sharply, frowning. One of his hands is behind Francis but the other, at least, is free, to do... what?

He glances at Francis, then back down to the wolf, very aware now that he doesn't know enough about dogs to know what might be a normal noise and what might not. A growl, even a little one, might put Raju in mind of the bow hanging next to the door, but Francis had been comfortable with the thing when Raju had gotten here.

"What does it want?" he asks. "I still can't figure out what it's been responding to. This isn't what they do when they're hungry, is it?" It might be. Raju hates that he can't be sure.

The wolf looks like an animal might getting its tailed stepped on, but Crozier has no idea what he's done to displease the creature. He stands up a little straighter, hand tightening on Rama's shoulder. "I have no earthly idea."

It is still just a wild animal. Maybe it is hungry, or maybe it's about ready to leave. Either way a growl means it's unhappy, and he has no qualms letting the weird little wolf go about to where it came from.

"He might want back outside. Let's open the door a bit wider."

The door's pulled open and Crozier stands by the handle, waiting, watching. He can't imagine after getting fed and watered and pet that it would need anything else from them.

What? Wait, no, he doesn't want to go back outside! He just wants the two of them to stop snuggling! He doesn't want to see Crozier looking at Raju like that!

So instead of going outside, Hickey purposefully walks over towards the fire. He turns in a circle before sitting down and looking up at Crozier and Raju. Nope. Not moving. He's staying put, thank you very much.

But as he does so...Christ, he's going to have to just suffer though it if that happens again, isn't he. He's suspicious enough already, the last thing he wants is more attention drawn to him.

Raju feels the chillier breeze in from the door, watching the wolf walk in the exact opposite direction from it. He sighs.

"Does it know it's a wolf and not a pet?" he asks, looking amused and indulgent despite his dry tone. "Because if it thinks it's supposed to be here to stay, we're going to have to start sleeping somewhere else."

Which would only be a problem for Raju, really, since Francis doesn't need the heat in the way that Raju does. It isn't the only fireplace in the house, of course, but keeping more than one lit means using more firewood... It's a problem for later. The problem for now is one Raju's less certain he's happy with, after that odd growl— But not unhappy enough to stop following Francis' lead.

And there goes the wolf. Crozier shuts the door with a soft huff of annoyance. He doesn’t know what to do at this point,

“I don’t think he does,” he grumbles. He also doesn’t want to sleep anywhere else, although… “You did promise me a bed though.”

The wolf issue seems like one that won’t be settled for a while, certainly without more coercing and possibly more fish sacrifice, but he does seem to recall that Ram had promised somewhere comfortable to lay. And now is clearly the perfect time to bring it back up.

He smiles down at Rama, eyebrow raising suggestively.

Edited 2024-07-17 22:43 (UTC)

Fucking hell, this is gross. A bed? Promised him a bed? Idly, Hickey hopes that they actually have a bed and they don't plan to sleep on the couch. He can handle the indignity of being called Mouse, he can't handle the indignity of listening to Crozier fuck someone else.

He lays put, trying his hardest to seem nonchalant while secretly listening and paying very close attention to what Raju and Crozier do next.

"I did, didn't I?" Raju moves closer to him. It's hard, still, to resist the lure of Francis with his shirt off and Raju doesn't have to, so he doesn't, putting his hand gently over one of the bruises over Francis' chest. "It might be better for your ribs than that chair, now they're nearly in one piece again. I should have aired the mattress out already."

As skeptical as Crozier still is of the wolf, it's easy to ignore it in favor of getting a little closer to Rama. It'd be nice to make the formal transition from furs laid out on the floor to an actual bed. The cabin is home, but it would be nice not to feel so transient as they sleep.

"There's still time enough," he laughs, hand cupping the one splayed against his chest. He runs his thumb across his knuckles affectionately. "Not too much time though, I'm healed enough that I can sleep horizontally now."

He's not looking, he's not looking, he doesn't want to see this, he's just curled up into a little dog circle on the floor—oh what on earth, Raju's touching his chest? Touching his bare chest! This is ridiculous!

Hickey adjusts his position slightly so that his paw is covering his eyes, draped over it like he's shielding it from the sun. Unfortunately, he can still hear everything.

Raju makes an amused noise, looking pleased. "Enough time so we can wait until the wolf is gone, I hope. The bed isn't large enough for three."

“Mn, even if it’s a small wolf, there’s a crowd,” he agrees. He isn’t paying attention to the wolf now; all of his attention is on Rama and his smile. He leans forward, just barely brushing that dimpled smile with his lips.

He's not looking, he's not watching, nope nope nope Hickey doesn't want to see this. So don't mind him as he keeps his eyes closed, not wanting to see Crozier and Raju kiss or snuggle or what the fuck else they'll be doing.

Raju's smile grows and he leans in to kiss Francis, but for all the talk of it being small as wolves go, as people go it's too large to ignore for long, and even if Francis has forgotten it Raju's gaze goes back to the thing as he leans back. That's where he sits when it's colder, curled there in front of the fire, and he frowns a little as something occurs to him.

"Do you think it has fleas?" Someone who's comfortable with dogs like Francis is surely has a better idea about this than Raju does. "I hope whoever tamed it trained it to take baths..."

It didn’t seem to be infested when he’d been petting it - in fact, the wolf’s coat appeared relatively clean, as though this particular wolf has spent a lot of time indoors.

“I hope not,” he grumbles. “Last thing we bloody need are fleas in the furs. But I don’t think that’s the case. It hasn’t been scratching.”

All he can really do now is offer a little shrug of his hand and not-hand.

You know how when someone else yawns, it makes you immediately want to yawn yourself? It turns out that, at least for Hickey, it's the same with scratching. As Crozier mentions scratching, without really thinking, Hickey moves his leg up so he can scratch himself behind the ear—and wow, he is not used to his leg doing that. It's nice to scratch an itch like that! But weird as hell.

Raju watches it, then raises his eyebrows and grimaces at Francis. "Maybe it doesn't mind soap and water."

Ah. Great timing, wolf. He also looks at the animal skeptically as it starts to scratch.

"Maybe. I don't think I'll be throwing a bucket of water on its head today to find out."

Yeah, damn straight nobody's throwing a bucket on his head. Hickey makes a little whining huffing noise of approval before he stops scratching and resumes being curled up in front of the fire.

...though shit, he's going to have to find a way to test for fleas by himself. Billy'll be livid if he manages to bring anything like that back to theirs.

Raju watches it for a moment but it seems settled, and he hasn't actually seen any fleas so far, and Francis is here in front of him without a shirt or those damn bandages, and Raju's gaze is drifting back, and he's smiling.

"You said it's been warmer, didn't you?" he murmurs, fingertips trailing low across Francis' stomach, just over his waistband. "Do you intend to keep dressing this way?"

He was wondering when the lack of shirt would become an 'issue'. A mischievous smile tugs at his lips, and he takes a single step forward to bring them closer together.

"If the heat continues," he tells him, not at all innocent despite the tone of his voice. "Why? Is it a problem?"

Oh come on now! Why this? He knows what's going to happen next, he knows why Crozier's that close! And nope, don't mind Hickey as he attempts to look away from this canoodling, and what will inevitably move past the canoodling stage. He's lying on the floor, still curled up, trying his hardest to not pay attention to the cuddling over her.

Raju's grin is half-restrained, more for show than anything else, and his drifting hand comes to a stop right where the trousers begin, curling as if about to tug at them. "A big problem. But you're lucky; I'm very good with problems. Especially big ones."

The restraint in his expression is gone, and his grin is wide. At home, to a woman who didn't know him, that wouldn't have worked at all. That sort of joke would be the last thing he should say. But he doesn't have to present his best self to Francis all the time, does he? And besides, Francis is a man, and a sailor on top of it; there's no reason he can't enjoy a terrible innuendo and a little fun at the same time.

Oh, he can't take that seriously, though he makes a valiant effort to keep a straight face. "Oh?" he asks, hand drifting to rest on Rama's hip. "That's presumptuous."

He doesn't grin, but that eyebrow of his does pop suggestively. "In both size and ability."

It's all absolute nonsense, this silly little back-and-forth that only happens here, in the safety of their four walls. It makes him so happy to be so frivolous for a change.

Hickey is suddenly starting to regret this whole 'pretend to be a normal dog' plan. The door's not locked. If he just makes his way over there, he can push it open and get the hell out of here before these two start buggering on the couch. Because considering where Raju and Crozier's hands are, buggering on the couch is a very valid possibility.

Quietly, Hickey stands up and pads over towards the door, not making any sound, hoping to just quietly push it open and get the hell out of there.

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