Lycanthropy and Me: The First Semester(mlm)

Day 72. Sunday, Waxing Crescent (Part Four)

Day 72. Sunday, Waxing Crescent (Part Four)

The growling stopped. Hot breath crested along his face. And then, nothing. Grayson, initially frozen in fear, cracked one eye open. Glowing eyes watched him, wide and watching.

Grayson stared back at them, unmoving. Hunter blinked. And then he sneezed. Grayson winced as he was coated in residue and was shocked to find Hunter sniffing his face. Not eating him, not tearing him limb from limb.

Digits pressed against Grayson's chest and he shuddered in pain. In an instant, Hunter's weight was gone. The desk bumped against the wall as Hunter huddled himself into the corner.

With one hand anchored against the wall behind him, Grayson pulled himself up into a sitting position.

The broken binds were scattered across the room. He chanced a glance at the light switch. If Hunter needed sunglasses in everyday light, then the overhead light was sure to irritate him. But if he didn't move his phone would eventually dim from inactivity, plunging them into darkness again. His eyes went to the phone, and then back to Hunter.

He was hunched on all fours, eyes darting from the 'object' to Grayson. The skin shifted above his eyes, portraying something akin to confusion.

What was the right thing to do? Leave? Seek help? Keep their staring match going until morning?

Grayson reached over for his bag. Maybe if he could distract Hunter with something else, he could retrieve the phone.

Grayson's interest in the object piqued Hunter's curiosity. He squinted at it and upon finding it too bright, swatted it across the room. The space was narrow, and Hunter's actions had sent it closer to Grayson.

So much for that. Grayson inched forward to retrieve the device. Just as his palm ghosted over the screen, it went dark and Grayson felt a slight breeze roll over his shoulders.

He tapped the screen, illuminating Hunter's form as he hunched over him.

Grayson looked up at him, heart pounding. "I--"

A coat of wet slobber hit his face. Grayson reared back as Hunter caught him by one limb and dragged him further into the room. Grayson yelled as he scraped for a hold of something. Finding purchase on the bedframe he hoisted himself onto the mattress.

Hunter, clearly amused, bounded at him again. The bed creaked under their shared weight as Grayson prayed they didn't do any damage. As if on cue the legs snapped, and the remains of the bed crumbled to the floor.

Hunter, unperturbed continued to sniff and inspect Grayson like an oversized animal.

Now sure that he wasn't going to become a midnight snack, Grayson patted his head. "You're going to be so mad in the morning..." He muttered.

"What was that?" Someone yelled out in the hall.

Hunter's neck craned towards the door, his eyes growing feral as a low growl garbled from his throat.

Oh no. Grayson cupped the lycanthrope's face in his hands. "Hey, it's nothing okay?" He whispered. "Hunter? Hunter!"

Hunter's eyes trailed back to his.

"That's it." Grayson nodded.

Hunter crossed the room in seconds.

"No!" Grayson scrambled after him, squirming past to make a barricade between him and the door. The Lycanthrope nudged at him with his face, edging him aside to paw at the door. "Hunter! Hey! Don't--" He had to distract him. Short on ideas, Grayson tossed his keys across the room. The small collection of novelty keychains made enough new noises to take Hunter's attention, and he leaped back across the room to inspect them.

Grayson listened with one ear against the door. Whoever was in the hall was getting further away. With a sigh of relief, he turned to check on Hunter, narrowly missing the keys being thrown back at his face. "Ah!"

Hunter was crouched by the window again, eyes wide and expectant, nodded his head and looked back and forth between Grayson and the keys.

"....Are you giving these back to me?" Grayson asked, reaching down to pick them up.

As he stood at full height again, Hunter lowered into a crouch.

"What are you..." Grayson followed his line of sight to the keys. Oh. Oh. "Are you...trying to play?"He jingled them, watching as Hunter's ears twitched and his maw gaped. "Huh." He tossed them.

Hunter smacked them with his digits sending them sailing back in Grayson's direction. Grayson caught them this time wincing from the force. He sucked his teeth, groaning. "That's a powerful arm you got there..."

Not being eaten alive by his boyfriend? Great. Playing catch with a werewolf after hours? Even better.

Grayson tried to keep Hunter occupied for a few hours, but his own energy began to wane. It wasn't long before he was sitting on the remains of the bed with Hunter's head in his lap, yawning repeatedly and glancing at his dying phone.

That was when the first break came.

There was a snapping noise and Hunter began whimpering, cowering in on himself.

If the process was painful at the beginning of the shift, it was surely uncomfortable to change back. It happened slowly, with occasional yelps and shuddering.

Nothing in the pamphlets SPOIPA offered prepared them for that. Grayson decided he would have to ask Lena about that. Surely there was more he could do. But for now, he would try to comfort him the best he could.