singillatim | he's got that dog in him

He turns his head to look at the other man - now in pajamas once more.

"I know you will be testing this power either way. Regardless of my opinion."

Even if Billy has been kind of amazed that he's been able to hold Hickey back from doing some stuff in this place that feels like an outright bad idea, he knows better than to imagine he could put a stop to this. Hickey seems so obsessed with the abilities they are given here, and trying to get him to not use them would be like attempting to stop the tide itself - completely useless. So despite his own dislike of the idea, he's not even going to make an attempt. Even if he will dryly point out what he is well aware of here.

He lets out a sigh. "Just.."

A shake his his head, and he looks at least less pissy and passive aggressive about the next part.

"At least promise me you will be reasonably careful?" Asking Hickey to be plain careful is also one of those impossible things to ask for. "Even if the limits on the power might not turn out to be much," because in Billy's opinion being an animal is enough of a punishment and drawback all by itself, "you can't know how easily some of the people here might point a gun at you."

Whether they might because they could see a wolf as a threat, or as a meal - the outcome would be the same.

"We had wolves attack the town the first or second month we were here—you might not have been here yet." Hickey certainly remembers that, if only due to the fact that he got horrifically sick after eating some of the wolf meat. "Moment they see me close to town, they'll shoot. But it's easy enough to go out into the forest, away from all this. I'll figure it out there."

It should be easy enough to get out in the forest. After all, it's easy enough for Hickey to do so, thanks to that first gift he was given. Idly, he can't help but think how well these two would work together. Traveling further as a wolf, moving over terrain even easier than he would as a man. And if he got hungry, all he had to do was find a creature and rip out it's throat. No one would notice if a wolf did that. No one would care.

"I don't plan on dying any time soon."

"I would like to remind you of the gap between not planning on dying and it happening regardless when you act recklessly."

Just saying! Though he can't deny that it sounds like Hickey plans to have at least some sense about all of this. Not that it makes Billy understand even just a little bit more what could possibly be so appealing about running around through the woods as an animal, but if it's keeping Hickey from getting himself into trouble in town...

He scoots a little closer to the other man on the bed, his hand reaching out to touch the material of the sleeve of the new set of pajamas he put on.

".. how about I go ask Miss Frazer later if she has a spare set?" Considering Hickey did ruin a set just now - and maybe this is Billy's form of compromising. See how good he can be to you when you behave, Hickey, that's what he's saying here. "She lives by herself, she surely will have some lying around. If they're too large, I can adjust them."

True, there are plenty of other animals that Cornelius 'noted dog hater' Hickey would have preferred to turn into instead of a wolf. But this was a gift. Someone saw him worthy and decided he should have that. So despite any and all hesitations, Hickey's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth (or a gift wolf). He's making the best of this. And sometimes making the best of it involves running around the forest like an idiot.

As Billy scoots closer to him, Hickey lets him touch the pajama material. But it lasts for a moment, before he moves his hands over, attempting to wrap Billy's hand in his, or at least give it a small squeeze. With the coldness of the weather and the environment surrounding them, it's always nice to take whatever warmth you can. Especially since one's husband is a space heater.

"Good idea," Hickey says, with a little nod. "Next time I go to Lakeside, I'll go through some of their cabins and see if I can get a few pairs as well. Suspect it's less picked over compared to Milton."

There's no resistance to his hand being taken into Hickey's own. If anything, after a moment of his hand resting there, Billy even moves his other one on the other side of the other's hand, warming it as a sandwich between both of his own while he's thinking. There's a reason why he's being practical about this, after all. While he's trying to just accept this situation for what it is and help.

Which is-- this power is clearly not going to disappear, and Hickey isn't going to give up on it, so Billy just has to do what he always does to keep the other out of the worst trouble possible. He enjoys these small moments of contact too much to give them up.

"You can probably get there quicker than anyone now," he adds, at least trying to see some upside to his husband being a dog now. (Ugh.) "Though it would likely be good to store an extra set of clothes somewhere out there. In case there is an emergency and you need to turn back."

He's not even thinking of it out of Victorian sensibilities as much as Billy is imagining how quickly one would freeze their ass off in the cold without any clothes whatsoever.

"Those are the things I refer to when I speak of being careful. This place is still trying to kill us." Just as that place had tried - and done - back home. His fingers lightly move over the back of the other's hand. "We can't let it."

Hickey is also interpreting this as practicality over Victorian sensibilities. After all, he never really gave a shit about morals to begin with. But the practical nature of it all? That's different.

He gives Billy's hand, the one that's underneath his, a small squeeze of reassurance. Because Billy's right. This place, the Darkwalker, the people here, all of that is trying to kill them and more. And he knows he's better. Hickey knows he's not going to squander his second chance, specially his second chance with Billy.

"Yeah," he says, with a little nod. "Yeah. I'll stash some clothes in various places and find out a way to keep them out of the way if I need to shift in the wilderness. Because you're right. I'm not going to let anything break me, let alone this place."

Something about Billy's features softens a little at the words. Sure, he knows that technically it doesn't make things less risky when anything in this place is risky, but knowing that Hickey isn't going to be a total reckless idiot about this does soothe some of his worries, making them disappear from his external appearance. Like a faint weight lifting. Making sure he's safe and that Hickey is safe as well in this place is practically his top priority, after all.

"That sounds better," he says. Look, husband approval! Just for you, god's most special little guy!

Billy even leans in a moment later to press a kiss to the other's lips. He lingers like that for a moment before adding, relatively playfully enough that it seems that Hickey's words just now really did improve his mood: "You are a rather small wolf though, you know."

Hickey indulges in the kiss, lingering in in the moment, enjoying the taste of his husband. That moment is then soured a little when Billy decides to be rude. Hickey, who has not seen his wolf form in a mirror and therefore has absolutely no idea about his size, points out,

"Oi, fuck you. I'm pretty sure he's perfectly normal sized. 'Small,' coming from a man who's so tall he hits his head on the ship's rafters." Billy may or may not do that. But every time they kiss and Hickey has to go on his tiptoes for a little bit, he feels that Billy should be doing that.

For all his complaining, it's obvious that it's mostly in jest. Billy's giving him a bit of grief, he'll give it right back.

It's not like grief about his height of all things is going to get to him, anyway. If anyone knows how inconvenient it is to be as tall as he is in a society where most people are nowhere close to it, it's Billy, after all. He has definitely hit his head. He has folded himself in two like a pretzel just to fit into his small, small bed.

Hence why he can hear the words fuck you and still seem like he's smiling - or at least like he's kind of amused (since it's not like Billy really does smiling) when he speaks again, still lingering very physically close to the other.

"It almost sounds as if you are worried about something, Cornelius."

"Me? Worried? Nah."

He indulges in the feeling of teasing Billy, just fun, small little actions that they couldn't have done back home. Light teasing, joking around, being so close to each other...it's because they're here that they're afforded that. It's because they're in this place. It only further cements to Hickey that he doesn't want to go back to England, back to that ship. Nah. Why would he do that when he can spend time with Billy?

"If you think I'm worried, you can make it up to me."

And don't mind Hickey as he grabs Billy's ass.

He rolls his eyes.

Though the fact that he is doing that instead of getting the other's hand off his butt is saying a whole lot, isn't it. Especially since he certainly wouldn't be tolerating it so easily if it came from anyone else.

"I hope you are aware I would have been a lot more amendable to the idea of being woken up in the middle of the night if it started with this." This, made more clear by the fact that Billy moves his arms up to drape them over Hickey's shoulders. "Rather than 'Billy, I am a dog now.'"

"Next time this place gives me a gift, I'll start it off that way," Hickey sasses. Because of course this place would give him a new gift. Of course the Darkwalker would view him in such high regard.

Why wouldn't it?

God, if Hickey calls it a gift even one more time, he might just groan. And not in the fun way.

Which means there's only one possible retort here. Billy pulls Hickey a little closer towards him, adding: "Have you considered less speaking and more kissing?"

Because he'd rather be doing that than listening to this, just saying.

"Easy enough to do," Hickey muses. Because more kissing? He's fine with that. He's absolutely fine with that. Hell yes, more kissing.

And hey, don't mind Hickey as he leans in for a big kiss.

So much better. Billy doesn't even hesitate to recipocate that kiss. After all-- Sorry, Cornelius, but you're way hotter when you aren't spouting absolute nonsense.

At least now he minds having been woken up way less when it led to this.

When Hickey pulls back from Billy, he gives him a roguish little grin.

"C'mon. I woke you up, the least I can do is take you back to bed and make it worth your while."

He is absolutely planning to spend a lovely morning in with his husband.

he's got that dog in him

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probably a good place to wrap! c: time to get some new event threads going...

AND THEN THEY FUCKED (aka yes, a perfect place to wrap this up and get new threads started)