bakerstreet | Only one bed

...No. Force of habit.

[He accepts the poking without flinching, and then simply reaches out and reciprocates. Even if Logan's brows aren't furrowing.]

It is novel to meet someone who cares at first glance.

[He lets Logan help him get settled, and he at once fumbles for his coat once he's seated.. Once making sure his hands are fully dry by patting them on the inner lining of his coat, he pulls out the rattling tin to pop out three small pills and down them dry.]

Dynamics suppressants.

[He considers a moment, and then continues,] Means my body forgets that it needs commands to survive, which means even my bones think that they're not deteriorating and stop sending pain signals. It also has the side effect of very slightly softening my Glare. Not enough to make a difference, though.

...But. If you let me give you commands every now and then, eventually, I'll be able to ditch the drugs. Theoretically.

[It's less that he's talking to Logan, and more that he's thinking aloud.]

Well, I'll only know for sure once I run out.

The fact you've needed them at all...

[ Logan is cooking the portion of the fish he's in charge now. Using his claws to hold them over the fire, of course. He stabs at the fire viciously, which seems dangerous, but he doesn't seem to care. ]

Nobody could let you Command them? Really?

No one would.

[Alivian eyes Logan's work with the fish, but doesn't stop him. Unless something goes wrong, he's not about to interfere right now.]

I'm the boss of the Control Bureau back home. Dealing with placements of the people and newcomers alike. We work with them to give them homes that fit with their needs and wants, work, and, optionally, partners for Dynamics, and other things. We even have a registry of people who have volunteered to be temporary partners for those without one but need it. Commands are as necessary as food and drink for us, and they're almost as restorative as sleep.

...I've even used the registry myself, but my request was soundly rejected on all fronts due to the risks of being near me. I've been using medicine, instead, since.

[Alivian's expression is... decidedly blank - tone, too. No anger, no sorrow - just the simple facts.]

Okay, you're coming with me to my home. After this.

[ Logan's voice is firm, stating there's no arguing with him. ]

If you still need medicine, my ex's company can synethize it. She's capable of that.

[ He finishes cooking the fish and sets it down, very calm as he does so. Almost too calm. He's obviously angry about what he's heard. ]

Either that, or I come to your home and kill everyone for what they did to you.

[ Just. Stating as if this is reasonable. ]

You will not so much as touch a single one of my people like that.

[Unlike before, Alivian levels Logan a firm, steely look, Glare picking up anew in intensity.]

It is their right to say "no" to any request that makes them uncomfortable. Even life-saving ones. Even if they're the only person who can. I am not entitled to anything that involves other people, and I am not above everyone else just because I hold the rank that I do.

[Alivian's voice strains a little with emphasis, anger and a fierce sense of protectiveness alongside it, and he leans in closer to Logan, just a bit, and very, very carefully enunciates,]

If you go after them, I will subdue you. With Commands, if I must, even if that hurts you. And I will do so as much as necessary until I know for a fact that you're not about to try to continue such a devastating and heartbreaking plan.

[So, to Logan's world, it is.]

[ ...why is that incredibly fucking hot? Logan should not be attracted to this. He keeps his eyes focused on Ali's eyes, only occasionally fluttering down to look at his lips. Occasionally. ]

Okay.

[ That's all he says, then he nods and backs up a little, shoving the fish at Ali in an attempt to put something between them. That will save him from the sudden spike in inappropriate hormones. ]

Eat.

[At first, Alivian wonders if it's deference that Logan sometimes breaks eye contact, only to get a small hit in the nose with those particular hormones. He takes the fish shoved at him with grace, however, and makes a brief, flat-handed prayer gesture before tucking in to eat.]

I can smell that, you know, [he mutters, and clicks his tongue.

[He doesn't seem like he's particularly put out by it, at least.]

Not the fish. You. You're something else.

[ Logan withdraws his claws and coughs into a hand in an embarrassed sort of gesture. ]

Nobody commands me. Nobody orders me around. Nobody threatens me like that.

[ He busies himself with arranging the clothes so they're close enough to the fire to dry quickly, because having one more barrier between him and this incredibly attractive person is a good idea. ]

Nobody dares, but you do.

[ He shrugs a shoulder as if to say 'that's that', then sits down to eat. ]

It's not a threat. It's a promise. You threaten my people, I promise you my retaliation.

[Alivian lets out a delicate huff through his nose and starts to eat, teeth crunching right through the bones just to get closer to certain parts without having to just... strip the meat off. Still, there's no easy way to grind the bones to something safer to eat, even if he just chews them, so he eventually removes them mostly-whole from his mouth and tosses them towards the fire so he can't do anything stupid like swallow them.

[With the first taste of something to eat in hours, Alivian abandons conversation entirely.]

The fact it's a promise doesn't help me.

[ Just. Pointing that out.

Also noteable is how Logan doesn't remove the bones, but rather wholesale does swallow them. He's just used to doing this sort of thing around here, he doesn't bother to be safe.

What he's not been saying is if he was alone, he probably would eat that smelly fish, and not even think about it. ]

You know eating the bones will risk giving you perforated---

[He stops there, staring at him, and then remembers: healing factor. His tail thumps once and he looks away with another little huff.]

Lucky. I'd eat the bones but I need it as a broth or powder.

[With that reminder, he remembers not to just blindly crunch through bone. Sad. He wants to crunch it, too.]

[ Logan laughs. It's not an unkind sound, but what he's not admitting out loud is - even if it did carry that risk for him, he'd still do it. ]

I suppose I am lucky.

[ Maybe, for the first time, looking at this man? He's thankful to still be around. ]

I'd hope so. The ability to heal as you do is a remarkable thing. Even with its downsides.

[Not being able to scar, for one.

[He glances over at Logan's hands again, tempted to reach out despite the priority of his hunger.]

Not right now, but... may I touch them sometime? Those claws of yours.

[ Logan turns his hands over and looks at them. Everyone is always so fascinated, but he just takes it in stride. It's moments like this that he wonders if he does that too much. ]

Anytime, just ask. It could be now.

[ He offers his hand? He'll pop the claws out if accepted. ]

Are you s--

[He stops there, and then clears his throat. Wipes his hands off n his legs. He needs to properly scrub up with his hands later, anyway. He nods.]

Yeah. I would like a look and to touch, please.

[ Logan pops out only one set, because he's a little worn out from everything that's occurred, he's going to prioritize himself slightly and not wear himself out further using both.

But the fact he's doing even one is just a terrible thing to himself, considering. But he's putting someone else over himself, yet again. And it's insane that it's just curiosity. And maybe a bit of wanting to impress Alivian. ]

Go ahead.

[If he knew Logan was tired, he would absolutely tell him "fuck no". For now, Alivian carefully navigates around the barrier of clothing (and the lingering pain in his shaking legs,) to get closer and sit back down. Close enough to touch. The brief scent of Logan's blood hits his nose again.]

I know this is probably vexing for you to hear, but if I hurt you while touching, please tell me so I can stop. Same for if you get tired of me looking and touching, or if you just want me to stop. Because there's nothing wrong with wanting space.

[He's gentle, long fingers encircling his wrist in a loose grip for steadying while his thumb gently drags over the space where they surely occupied in his arm. Slowly, his touch travels down his arm, down his hand. The pad of his thumb gently tests the top of one metal claw, wanting to make sure that they're not double-edged before using more pressure.

[He squashes down hard the urge to kiss the back of his hand. As if that will do anything other than rile them both up again.

[He's not done touching yet, though, so hopefully Logan will have patience. If not, well, then Alivian will live with that.]

[ They're not double edged, but they are extremely sharp where they do cut. Possibly the sharpest metal possible. Logan has never actually had anyone examine his claws for long before, but he still raises his eyebrows at the idea of wanting space. He's never actually asked for that for himself before. ]

...that tickles.

[ That's not necessarily what he's feeling, but he's a bit overwhelmed by this, and it shows on his face. It's a new experience, for someone to take this much care and yet be so curious. He doesn't know how to handle it. ]

Tickles?

[The wolf immediately stops to look at him, his other hand pulled back enough to break contact. His gaze is searching, careful.]

Do you want me to stop?

[He remains still, waiting. That look of overwhelm is plain on his face.]

It's okay, if that's what you want me to do. I'm not... entitled to your person just because I'm curious.

No, tickles isn't bad.

[ He tilts his head a little, curious and confused by someone being so concerned about his own mental state. He doesn't really know how to handle that, either, and it shows in the pure bafflement in his eyes. ]

It's - I'm not used to it.

[ But he does look less overwhelmed now that there's no contact. He takes a careful breath, then another. ]

Maybe, yeah. Maybe stop now.

Okay. I'll stop.

[Alivian gently withdraws his touch entirely, placing both hands on his lap. A shy, pleased smile crosses his face.]

Thank you for letting me to begin with. I appreciate it. And thank you for telling me that you've had enough.

[His hands press a little more firmly on his own thighs as if to impress upon himself the importance of no longer touching.]

I've never seen anyone like you before in my life, so, really. Thank you.

[ Logan looks him over. He's far too grateful and he wants to show it, but he can't think of any ways that don't involve touch. So he awkwardly gets up and goes towards the clothing, checking if they're dry enough by now to wear. They're... damp but decent enough, so he starts to pull on his own. It's nice to have the barrier, and nice to have something to concern himself with. ]

I'm really that new?

[ It's not odd. Alivian's powers are new to him too. But still, he thinks it's kind of funny that he could be such a novelty, and it tugs a smile at his lips. ]

You are. You're the first human I've ever seen outside of documentation. The last ones that fell through to my world were long before I was born. We don't have a lot of information on them, so there's a lot we don't know about humans.

[A beat, and he clears his throat.]

None of my kind have claws like yours, either. Not the material, and not from where they extend. The bird clans particularly tend to have talons for their fingernails.

...Though you're more than just a curiosity. I also just wanted to touch you again, and... not be afraid of those claws.

[Clearing his throat, he shuffles a little bit away to give Logan more space, and busies himself with more fish.]

[ He finishes pulling on his clothes and looks at him with a look that's both... understanding and sad. It's reasonable that someone would be afraid of them. People always are. He's gotten used to it. ]

So are you? Afraid now?

[ His breath catches as he waits for the answer, which he feels is terrible. ]

No.

[His response is instant, gaze meeting Logan's in a heartbeat.]

I heard them come out when we were... earlier.

[He makes a small waving gesture with a pair of fingers partially extended, and then taps the side of his head.]

I wanted to make sure that the wolf brain in me knew that they're just part of you. Like talons on a bird, or a wolf's fangs.

In all the times you've revealed them, you haven't hurt me with them. And let me touch, without the presence of conflict.

I was afraid the first time. Startled the second. Third... calm.

[His gaze softens, gentle as he searches Logan's.]

I trust you.

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