Shot Through the Heart: The Morning After [Flashback] | QN, Hunter & Forest
Since @watermargin-s and @hunterthewarden had their night, It was now Forest’s turn to be introduced to the Lovestruck Leprechaun Lovers. :D
Takes place the morning of 2/15/2017.
When he first woke up, Qianneng's immediate response was to panic. Over the years, he's gotten used to waking up in strange places, but he's usually had something to ground himself. After around five seconds of distress, memories of last night began to filter in. Oh. He flushed, half at forgetting and half at where he was currently. Right, he had just met the love of his life and followed him home. Qianneng covered his face with both hands and let out a soft groan. He was embarrassed that he was bold enough to do something like that but a part of him was ecstatic about what the future held. A smile began to form underneath his palms. He was actually here.
Waking up the first thing Forest knew was that he was thirsty. Spending the night with Molly had really done a number on his hydration levels, but today was a new day that didn’t involve stress planning for a major dinner, so he’d be able to start this one. Grabbing his glass and padding out of his room, He almost walked right past the figure on the couch until it let out a groan causing Forest jump 5 feet into the air. “What the” Forest started eyes wide. Hunter had not said or texted anything about having a house guest this morning so it caught him slightly off guard, but luckily for everyone Forest knew better than to just walk around with his plants out plain as day anymore. Realizing he had been rude though the boy backtracked trying to figure out how to the save the situation. “Sorry um, Hi I’m Forest.” He stuck out his hand for the other person to shake if he wanted to.
The first thought in Hunter's head when he woke up should have been 'what the hell am I going to do' but he didn't so much wake up as spend the entire night staring at his ceiling and walls thinking it again and again with little room for sleep. So there were heavy bags under his eyes when he finally decided it was a reasonable hour to get up to deal with the never ending mess that was apparently his life. Getting dressed slowly, he debated the merits of just jumping out the window and not dealing with the situation, but then his brother's voice caught his attention and he sighed. Well, he couldn't just leave now probably. Stifling a yawn, he stepped out of his room to find Forest greeting their house guest. Because he couldn't just send Qianneng away, he had to find out what was wrong. With the way he was acting, there was no telling what kind of mess he could get himself into before this was sorted out. "Morning. Uh, Forest, this is Qianneng he..." Hunter trailed off, not entirely sure where to go from there. Really, he should have called or texted or something, but he hadn't. After all, he couldn't just interrupt Forest's date, and... at the time, he had been sure the effect wouldn't last too long, so it probably wouldn't be an issue. So much for that.
Qianneng just stared blankly at the hand that was offered. He wondered if they ever met before, but doesn't think they did? He felt embarrassed that he was in such a messy state in front of a stranger. A stranger possibly close to Hunter if he lived here too. Family maybe? Didn't Hunter mention something about a brother during the car ride? He sighed, running a hand through his hair trying to fix it up. It was too early to think about it. As soon as he saw Hunter enter the room though, he felt the turmoil within him quiet. "Good morning!" Smiling, he turned to Forest's hand and took it with both of his own. A slight twinge of pain came up from his right arm but he ignored it. He had always been a fast healer and the brace was awkward to wear anyway. If anymore fights were going to happen, he would take a sore wrist over not being able to properly defend himself any day. "And hello Forest, I'm Qianneng," he said shaking his hand, "It's good to meet you."
Standing there with his arm out streatched Forest wondered how long he should hold this pose before just well giving up. The guy looked a bit confused after all. Maybe Hunter didn’t tell the other man about him? And speak of the devil there came Hunter walking into the awkward situation. “Hey” Forest nodded at his brother still debating the merits of putting his hand down, but suddenly the other man sat up, weirdly more animated than he had been before Hunter entered the room. “Qianneng,” Forest said slowly trying his hardest to wrap his mouth around the foreign sounding syllables, though he knew he probably just sounded like an uncultured idiot. “Awesome It’s nice to meet you too” He nodded quicker this time “Also sorry in advance if it takes me forever to remember how to properly pronounce that.” He smiled at the guest “Feel free to correct me till I get it right though”
Hunter debated going back into his room to dive out the window for a moment before taking a breath and forcing himself over toward Qianneng and Forest. "I'm sorry I didn't call you about this," he said quickly, to Forest. "I didn't want to interrupt you last night. Qianneng and I met while I was hunting and..." He trailed off, finding he had no idea how to explain just what had transpired... at least not while Qianneng was still in the room. Trying to explain that he wasn't really feeling what he thought would probably upset him. Or maybe it wouldn't. Hunter couldn't be sure, but it didn't exactly seem worth the risk. He turned away, heading for the kitchen. "I need coffee, do either of you want anything?"
Qianneng nodded as he ended the handshake with Forest. It was so nice that consideration seemed to run in the family. "It's okay if you don't get it right on the first try," said Qianneng, waving it off, "I appreciate that you are trying at all. At least you aren't like some people I've met who just decide to call me Channing because it's easier for them. Why would I want to be called that? That's not my name." His ears perked up again at Hunter's voice and he could practically feel his face melt into a gooey, emotional expression. "If you can spare some water, that would be nice? And yes, I was walking in the woods trying to clear my head of things when a band of leprechauns attacked me," said Qianneng wistfully, one arm lying perched on his cheek, "I didn't really need any help, but Hunter came in like a regal champion. After dispatching them, things happened and I'm here now." Qianneng hoped that would clear up any questions that Forest might have about how they met.
“I promise I will never call you Channing, scouts Honor” Forest grinned as he held up a two fingered salute. Because he could do better than Channing ok, even if it took him all month to figure it out.“Oh it’s cool,” Forest shrugged out towards Hunter not really worried about it. He trusted his brother not to bring random men about all the the time without checking first, so he knew that this must have been a last resort. “I mean as long as every things was safe sane and consensual and not on top of any of my stuff I can’t complain” He smiled at his brother, unable to resist the small tease before going back to Qianneng. The other man seemed… weird to say the least, not Hunter’s usual type at all, but hey Forest was not one to judge. “Oh leprechauns and regal champions well that’s interesting” The younger Voorsanger was thoroughly confused now, but he figured Hunter would tell him when he got the chance. Hopefully.
Hunter stared at Qianneng, wide eyed for a moment before nearly tripping over himself as he turned to get him a glass of water. He should have just jumped out the window. And then Forest chimed in and Hunter stopped, going completely still at the sink. Alright, just for that, he was so crashing Forest's next date. He took a breath and then managed to fix a small smile into place as he handed Qianneng the glass of water. "I don't know if I'd say that. It looked like you're more than capable of handling yourself. I just wanted to make sure you were alright after that one shot you in the knee." He kept his smile carefully fixed in place as he turned to his brother. "The leprechauns seemed to be acting rather strangely, I think the arrows there were using may have had some... unusual properties," he said, tone as loaded as possible, eyes briefly flicking to Qianneng.
"Very, very interesting," echoed Qianneng. He was still smiling as Hunter gave him the water, giving it a grateful sip to wash out the morning mouth he had. "Thank you," he said, "Both for the the water and the compliment." He quickly gulped down the rest of the water and set the glass aside. "Yes, it's interesting that they hit me there, not anywhere more vital," mused Qianneng, "Not my throat, or eyes. They probably weren't tall enough to reach there anyway." He thumbed at the hem of his borrowed shirt and looked back up at Hunter. "Oh, and thank you also for letting me borrow your clothes. It's very uncomfortable to sleep in dirty ones."
Staying a bit silent as Forest gathered some more information from the other two as they talked he set his mind to work. If they both were being serious about this and the leprechaun thing wasn’t just some joke this didn’t sound very good. “Unusual how?” Forest questioned quietly coming to stand closer to his brother. Not that he thought whatever it was contagious or anything but more that he didn’t want to accidentally upset their house guest. Though it seemed like nothing could upset Qianneng with Hunter present, the other man looking happily at his brother. “Yea Hunter you’re such a great guy for letting him borrow your clothes” He flashed a smirk in Hunter’s direction not really able to resist another brotherly jab.
It took an unreasonable amount of self control for Hunter not to turn and glare at his brother. At least he felt significantly less guilty about not managing to call ahead to warn Forest about their current company. "It's no problem," he said, offering Qianneng another small smile. It wasn't Qianneng's fault that the arrow had done... something to him, poisoned him, cast some kind of spell--whatever it was. Being rude or irritable with him wouldn't solve anything. He could however lightly kick his brother's shin without being seen, so he did. "They were heart shaped. I think they may have been coated in something. I'm going to have someone look at them to see if they can find anything on them."
Qianneng nodded knowingly, hoping that would disguise the fact that he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. "If it helps, I don't feel poisoned or anything. Again, I've always been a fast healer," he said, glancing up at Forest. If this person was close to Hunter, it would probably be okay to tell him exactly what kind of person he was. "That's not just me exaggerating by the way. I'm a hunter. Funny, right? Me meeting Hunter..."
Flinching slightly as Hunter kicked his shin, Forest took it in stride secretly relishing this interaction It was no secret how much he missed his brother while he was at Nora’s and while he wasn’t super fond of shin kicking he’d take it if it meant being well brotherly with Hunter. And even solving problems with Hunter, his eager ears taking in all of the information about what happened. “Heart shaped?” Forest raised an eyebrow “Definitely sounds fishy, and knowing Ashkent it probably is fishy.” Stopping there though Forest listened to Qianneng’s explanation heart skipping a beat on that one crucial word. Hunter Looking over at his brother Hunter Forest couldn’t help the small bout of fear and panic that flashed through his eyes. He knew that Hunters weren’t out for him. He knew that. But with the close call that they encountered with their last roommate it was safe to say Forest was still a bit traumatized around people who killed other supernaturals for a living. Clearing his throat a little though Forest stood a little straighter, trying to put on his brave face, even though the grip on his empty glass was tight enough to turn his knuckles white. “So you’re a Hunter, who is friends with Hunter. Yea totally funny stuff” He commented trying for it all not to sound too forced.
Hunter glanced at Forest, brow furrowing slightly. He knew that look. Casually, he shifted slightly closer to his brother, hand moving to his shoulder. Qianneng being so open about what he was, was a little surprising, but it was probably best to have it out in the open right from the start. Why that seemed to make Forest nervous, he wasn't quite sure. Qianneng couldn't sense him, and he didn't look as though he was about to attack in any case. But... maybe he should have thought things through a bit more. "We only just met," Hunter said, tone as gentle as possible, not wanting to upset Qianneng, but... still, they barely knew each other. Which was probably something else he should have thought a bit more before letting him stay on the couch. "I'm still going to look into the arrows. I've got a funny feeling about them. I've never known leprechauns to use weapons before." Something else had to be going on here.
Qianneng hummed in agreement, slowly getting up from the couch to stand. He yawned and raised both his hands up to leaned back into a full body stretch. "That makes sense," he said casually, "So do you think that these ones somehow made weapons themselves or someone else gave them to the leprechauns? Though honestly I'm not sure what would be the point of the later. Seems like a weird, really small way of trying to cause chaos." He paused in his musing to looks towards the kitchen. "Have you eaten yet?" Qianneng asked both of them, "I should make you something. It's only fair for letting me stay the night."
Feeling the hand on his shoulder Forest relaxed his grip on his glass ever so slightly, his mind telling him to think calming thoughts. Because you know Qianneng was a Hunter not a Warden. He had nothing to be afraid of. Everything was alright. He was calm he was cool he was collected. Trying to engage himself in the conversation Forest bit his lip facts swirling around “Well, I mean they could have made them themselves,” he shrugged out “but I I think you guys are right and they were given them. Plus if I wanted some sort of weird spell thing spread around without causing irreparable damage to the town using a small pesky creature such as a leprechaun as a vehicle makes a whole lot of sense.” Forest nodded trying to be of help even though he really just wanted to run back to his room and hide. Tapping his glass with a finger absentmindedly though he almost didn’t register Qianneng’s question about food until it was too late, his body jumping a bit to keep up with the conversation “Um well I haven’t eaten yet” Forest said quietly with a shake of his head.
Giving Forest's shoulder a gentle squeeze Hunter nodded slowly. The creatures could have constructed the weapons, but it seemed rather unlikely. Leprechauns were creatures of habit. They wouldn't just change up everything without reason. "Someone giving them the bows seems like it would make the most sense." And it would certainly be an effective way to cause a lot of chaos or confusion if those arrows did what Hunter was pretty damn sure they did. He blinked, caught off guard by Qianneng's offer. "Oh, that's alright, you don't have to do that. I'm not really hungry, but you two should eat. I... don't know what we've got actually." When was the last time he went shopping? With work piling on, groceries often seemed to slip his mind.
"Are you sure?" asked Qianneng again, "You just woke up too. I'll just make more of whatever just in case then." With that he walked into and began to familiarize himself with their kitchen, leaving the two alone for now. It was different from what he was used to but he could make it work, as long as it was at least semi-vegetarian. He didn't think that Hunter and Forest looked like the type of people to balk at not eating meat in every meal. He took his time opening up the cabinets and refrigerator, wincing as he did. Hunter saying he didn't know what they had wasn't surprising now, given that they didn't seem like they had a lot. Obviously he needed someone to take care of him and Qianneng was happy to do so. He did manage to find a box of Ready Rice and a half-full cartoon of eggs that smelled fine, so he began to work. Nervousness coiled in his belly though. He hoped they, especially Hunter, liked it.
“Yea, but that begs the question of who, and why?” Forest replied to Hunter quietly not really sure if he wanted to know the answers to all of this mayhem. Well at least not before breakfast. Which speaking of... “Sorry I used a bunch of ingredients last night, but there should be some eggs left over” Forest said mostly to Hunter but also so that Qianneng could hear. And possibly use the information. Which yes he knew was probably horrible of him but hey he was super tired from cooking Molly’s meal last night, and he was sure consuming one meal he didn’t help make was not going to kill all of his pride. Just some.
Hunter watched Qianneng move around the kitchen, growing less and less certain of the last time he had actually gone to the store. He really needed to get better about that. With papers and his extra work, there just never seemed to be enough time for all of it. Maybe he should work out a better schedule. "I'm not sure," he said, glancing at Forest. "But I'm going to find out." Whoever did this probably thought it was something of a joke, handing out bows and arrows to leprechauns probably looked hilarious on paper. Hunter would have to show them just how funny he thought their little prank was. "That's alright, Forest. I'll pick up some groceries tomorrow." Because, for the moment, they all had more than enough on their plates to deal with.
