Kintsugi

The Apology

A low growl warned whoever was creeping up to him not to. The steps neither retreated nor stopped.

"None of that now, Anson. I come bearing gifts." Sable's voice was calm and assured. Her body language open and trusting and firm.

Anson shifted, making room for Sable to sit on the edge of the lounge and angling his ears towards the clothes she set down on the foot of the lounge in front of his nose. A set of his own clothes made up the bulk of the pile. Red's leather jacket was at the bottom and he caught a whiff of Vivienne's hat still safely tucked into the pocket, the scents of Alphas and pack a comfort. She gave him a sad smile when he sighed.

"You need anything else? Someone to talk to? Food or water?"

Anson hesitated, lifting his head to look at her. She gazed back, open and accepting. He ducked his head to angle his nose under her arm, careful not to touch, but when she lifted her elbow to invite him into her lap, he couldn't help the whine that slipped out. Her strong fingers slipped through his fur, comforting.

"Eveirdo is really sorry."

His ears pinned. He didn't want to talk about Eveirdo.

Sable chuckled. She scrubbed in behind his ears and through his ruff, finding all the itchy spots and feel good spots and generally reducing him to a puddle in less than five minutes. Her hand stroked down the length of his back in long easy caresses as she quietly spoke.

"Can I say something?"

He angled an ear towards her.

"When we were looking for a body to put your soul into, I had a lot of reservations about this one. It's hard being a woman. Even without having been a man for a lifetime first. Dating is a grab bag of jerks and assholes, with a slim chance of finding that one person you click with. Seems like we've got to fight twice as hard to be taken half as seriously and everyone expects us to apologize for it along the way. And that's not even getting into the extra hassles that comes with the various sexualities and gender expressions."

She sighed. Anson tilted his head to look up at her. Sable smiled down at him, her hand smoothing over the top of his head.

"I've got an inkling of how hard this is for you. And I want you to know you're handling it beautifully. I'm sure it doesn't always seem like it from your end, but the rest of us are very proud of you for the way you've gracefully dealt with your entire life being turned upside down and put through a blender."

Anson chuffed. If he weren't a wolf he probably would have dissolved into tears. Certainly would have broken down as Sable scooped his head into her chest to hug him tight and kiss the top of his muzzle. She nuzzled between his ears and generally smothered him in affection.

"You want me to leave you alone now?" Anson quickly shook his head and Sable chuckled. "Shall we head up to the room then? I think if we're not going to spend the night partying, may as well give the alcohol a couple hours to metabolize and then hit the road again."

Anson got to his feet and hopped off the lounge. Motion drew his eye up to the second floor walkway, where Aisling and Rebecca were pushing off the railing they had been leaning against. Silent sentinels while Sable talked to him. Sable collected up his clothes for him and he followed her through the gate, catching the scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air.

He made a soft growl when she started for the room he was sharing with Eveirdo, limbs stiff and hackles rising.

"Alright, come on then."

He relaxed again, trailing along at her heel as she turned for her room instead. She held the door for him and set his clothes aside on a chair where he could reach them if he wanted. He still wasn't quite ready to be expected to talk however, so he just hopped up onto Sable's bed with her and dropped his head in her lap while Aisling found a movie to watch.