#wiitchcraftiing

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

"How's my big cat doing?" Dan asked softly, stepping into the room and offering a steaming mug of tea to Arin, another in his other hand, which he sipped casually. "Ready to try and get some sleep for once?"

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

Arin had been feeling down lately. Dan could tell, just by watching him. The others didn’t quite notice, but of course he did. They slept together every night, spent their days together, as well as worked together. It wasn’t easy to just not see.

He moved into Arin’s office, where the other had retreated after recording earlier. Knocking softly on the door, he stepped in and hummed happily. “Hey sweet pea,” he purred, leaning against the door frame. “You doin’ anything later? I was thinking of taking a sexy boy on a little date.”

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

It had been a nice day. Had being the operative word. Dan and Arin were enjoying the sunlight and wandering through the forests around their home. It was a typical patrol Dan took, but he'd brought the dragon along to let him get out of the house and stretch his wings a bit. Everything had been going fine.

Again, the operative word was had. While the two traveled together, someone was out for revenge, and that someone had found a means of creating explosive magic. Explosive enough to really do some damage.

The explosion itself was bright and loud, and knocked Dan to the forest floor with tremendous force. His ears ringing, he had no strength in him to stand, even as the blast cleared. All he could do was lie there, dazed and scared, heart pounding in his ears. Even after a few minutes, when the smoke cleared, his vision was still hazy, his hearing gone. He tried to move, to stand, and called out to Arin, but without the ability to hear, he had no idea if the sound actually escaped his lips.

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

Dan had been terrified when Arin had practically dissolved into a new egg. He didn’t know that dragons did that! He hadn’t known enough dragons in his years to learn anything about their rebirths, or if it was a type specific thing. He just didn’t know.

So, being presented with a new egg that would in turn become a new Arin, he’d been torn apart. Wrecked, even.

One of his biggest worries though... was whether or not Arin would remember him after this rebirth. He sat, poring over documents written by his Master, trying to find any indication of what he should expect, hoping Arin would remember him and they could still be friends. It would kill him to lose Arin so deeply.

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

Live shows were stressful as fuck. Dan could agree (and so could Brian, who’d taken on the role of road manager halfway through this tour out of necessity). The singer was exhausted more and more by each day, but he still gave it his all every time they went out to play games and answer questions on that stage.

Still, the exhaustion was clear. And if Dan was tired, Arin was completely fucking wrecked. Dan knew, but he couldn’t figure out a way to get his best friend and husband to just calm down for a while. When Dan was sleeping, he was damn sure Arin was pretending to sleep, only waiting for Dan to pass out, so he could get up and do whatever he could to quell the running of his mind.

They had another show today, and Dan was psyching himself up to get out on stage. They had just about three shows left, and this one was one of their smaller venues, but it didn’t change the excitement or the importance of the moment. As they were introduced, he slapped his hands together, bouncing on the balls of his feet and giggling as he led Arin out onto the stage, putting on his performer persona to get through the next few hours.

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

Arin wasn’t taking care of himself. Dan could see it, more than anyone else could. Hell, if he couldn’t, he’d count himself a miserable husband and chuck himself back to the sharks. Someone else could take care of Arin because if he couldn’t see it, then he sure as Hell didn’t deserve to be the one taking care of him.

But he saw it, so it was all good.

Dan had thought long and hard about how to deal with it, how to bring Arin back around, and he landed on something of an idea... It wasn’t conventional, maybe? But he had a feeling it would work. So, while Arin was away for the day, Dan set his plan into motion. He went to the store, got all he needed, looked up tutorials and recipes, and managed it all just in time. As Arin was getting home, Dan was just finishing up plating dinner, which started with a light veggie soup, the recipe he’d stolen from Granny, and some champagne. It would follow up with an alfredo dish he’d spent ages perfecting, with plenty of bread and more champagne. To finish off, Dan had gone so far as to bake a cake, and even some brownies (two batches in fact), to serve with some ice cream.

He only hoped this idea would be enough.

[hetooktheglass]

Home Improvement, without the Grunting

@wiitchcraftiing - [It’s a Tim Allen joke, get it? ...I’ma stop before I hurt myself.]

Living with a dragon and another sorcerer was by no means easy. It was actually pretty challenging. Dan was lucky that the cottage was as big on the inside as it was, but that didn’t change that it was still not... theirs. It was his Master’s cottage still, and while he didn’t want to get rid of the feel of the old one in the home, the three of them had yet to put their own, personal imprint on the place.

It didn’t always feel welcoming. Sometimes, the cottage felt almost resentful of its new residents because they didn’t smell right, feel right, walk properly on her floors. It was a strange feeling.

And Dan could feel it, through the Earth outside, through his feet as he padded across the worn wooden floors, through the tips of his fingers as he grazed them over the walls, cabinets, countertops.

“The house isn’t happy,” he found himself speaking aloud, looking around. Brian lifted his head from the notes he was taking on his travels earlier that morning, arching an eyebrow. Dan shrugged, avoiding his gaze.

“We need to make it feel more loved,” he added. “More like... we’re living here, instead of taking up space in someone else’s place. We need something new.”

Brian snorted. “I’m not shopping for a new bed.”

“They don’t make any in size King Asshole,” Dan shot back, grinning at his friend. He looked over at Arin. “What do you think?” he asked softly. “A bit of a change? Rework the rooms a bit and make it feel more like us?”

[hetooktheglass]

@wiitchcraftiing

The atmosphere in the apartment was strained, and Alex was pretty sure he knew why. Earlier that  day, Ryland had lost a bet against Steamin’, and things were getting a little rowdy. When Kamal had heard about the details to the bet, and the consequences for the loss, he decided blowing up both their phones with photoshopped images of Ryland’s face on dress-wearing model’s bodies was the height of comedy.

Alex had long since turned his phone off. That didn’t stop the knocking at the door that he begrudgingly moved to open. On the other side was, of course, none other than Steamin’. And the little urchin was holding the dress he’d picked out for Ryland, a big grin on his stupid face. It was taking everything in Alex not to punch the little twerp himself, instead taking the dress from him, nodding he’d keep an eye to make sure Ryland followed the rules, and then slamming the door in Steamin’s face.

He made his way into the living room, setting the dress down on the coffee table in front of Alex. “Sorry, man.”